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definitions

vocable

[ voh-kuh-buh l ]
/ ˈvoʊ kə bəl /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR vocable ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a word; term; name.
a word considered only as a combination of certain sounds or letters, without regard to meaning.

adjective

capable of being spoken.

RELATED WORDS

phrase, style, word, name, language, sound, term, concept, expression, appellation, head, moniker, designation, title, locution, nomenclature, denomination, caption, indication, article

Nearby words

  1. voa,
  2. voc,
  3. voc.,
  4. vocab,
  5. vocab.,
  6. vocabulary,
  7. vocabulary entry,
  8. vocal,
  9. vocal cord,
  10. vocal cord nodules

Origin of vocable

1520–30; < Latin vocābulum a word, a name, equivalent to vocā(re) to call + -bulum noun suffix
Related formsvo·ca·bly, adverbnon·vo·ca·ble, adjective, nounun·vo·ca·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vocable

  • There was a vocable that occasioned me some perplexity—indeed a haze envelopes it still.

    An Irishman's Difficulties with the Dutch Language|N.A. Cuey-na-Gael

  • Suppose I have an idea to which I give utterance by the vocable 'skrkl,' claiming at the same time that it is true.

    The Meaning of Truth|William James

  • Often I had wished to test in speech the widely alleged merits of this vocable.

    Somewhere in Red Gap|Harry Leon Wilson

  • We find ourselves before a Greek vocable reproduced in Tifinar.

    Atlantida|Pierre Benoit
British Dictionary definitions for vocable

vocable

/ (ˈvəʊkəbəl) /

noun

any word, either written or spoken, regarded simply as a sequence of letters or spoken sounds, irrespective of its meaning
a vocal sound; vowel

adjective

capable of being uttered
Derived Formsvocably, adverb

Word Origin for vocable

C16: from Latin vocābulum a designation, from vocāre to call
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