triphthong

[trif-thawng, -thong, trip-]

noun

Phonetics. a monosyllabic speech-sound sequence perceived as being made up of three differing vowel qualities, as the pronunciation of our, especially in r-dropping dialects.
(not in technical use) a trigraph.

Origin of triphthong

1590–1600; < New Latin triphthongus < Medieval Greek tríphthongos with three vowels, equivalent to tri- tri- + phthóngos voice, sound

Related formstriph·thong·al

[trif-thawng-guh l, -thong-, trip-] /trɪfˈθɔŋ gəl, -ˈθɒŋ-, trɪp-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for triphthong

Historical Examples of triphthong

Only the first two of these four words contain a triphthong.
Frdric Mistral
Charles Alfred Downer
Triphthong, trif′thong, n. a combination of three vowels to form one sound.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)
Various
Trigraph, trī′graf, n. a combination of three letters sounded as one, a triphthong.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)
Various
This triphthong (aye) is a combination of the slender sound of a, heard in pa-per; and the e in metre.
Notes and Queries, Number 138, June 19, 1852
Various

British Dictionary definitions for triphthong

triphthong

noun

a composite vowel sound during the articulation of which the vocal organs move from one position through a second, ending in a third
a trigraph representing a composite vowel sound such as this

Derived Formstriphthongal, adjective

Word Origin for triphthong

C16: via New Latin from Medieval Greek triphthongos, from tri- + phthongos sound; compare diphthong

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012