triphthong
[trif-thawng, -thong, trip-]
- 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.
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Origin of triphthong
1590–1600; < New Latin triphthongus < Medieval Greek tríphthongos with three vowels, equivalent to tri- tri- + phthóngos voice, sound
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for triphthong
Historical Examples
Only the first two of these four words contain a triphthong.
Frdric MistralCharles Alfred Downer
Triphthong, trif′thong, n. a combination of three vowels to form one sound.
Trigraph, trī′graf, n. a combination of three letters sounded as one, a triphthong.
This triphthong (aye) is a combination of the slender sound of a, heard in pa-per; and the e in metre.
triphthong
- 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
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Word Origin
C16: via New Latin from Medieval Greek triphthongos, from tri- + phthongos sound; compare diphthong
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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