rising diphthong
- a diphthong in which the first of two apparent vocalic elements is of lesser stress or sonority than the second, as the (wä) in guava [gwah-vuh] /ˈgwɑ və/.
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Compare falling diphthong.
Origin of rising diphthong
First recorded in 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018