triphthong

American  

[trif-thawng, -thong, trip-] / ˈtrɪf θɔŋ, -θɒŋ, ˈtrɪp- /

noun

1. 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.

2. (not in technical use) a trigraph.

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triphthong British  

/ ˈtrɪp-, ˈtrɪfθɒŋ /

noun

1. a composite vowel sound during the articulation of which the vocal organs move from one position through a second, ending in a third

2. a trigraph representing a composite vowel sound such as this

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Other Word Forms

• triphthongal adjective

Etymology

Origin of triphthong

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

Example Sentences

The only proper triphthong in English is uoy, as in buoy, buoyant, buoyancy; unless uoi in quoit may be considered a parallel instance.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold

Again: ask a boy, "What is a triphthong?"

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold

Only the first two of these four words contain a triphthong.

From Frédéric Mistral Poet and Leader in Provence by Downer, Charles Alfred

But he is wrong here by his own showing: he should rather have called it a triphthong.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold

An improper triphthong is a triphthong in which only one or two of the vowels are sounded; as, eau in beauty, iou in anxious.

From The Grammar of English Grammars by Brown, Goold