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definitions

vocal

[ voh-kuhl ]
/ ˈvoʊ kəl /
||
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adjective

noun

a vocal sound.
a musical piece for a singer, usually with instrumental accompaniment.Compare instrumental(def 6).

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RELATED WORDS

articulate, verbal, operatic, choral, outspoken, vociferous, eloquent, expressive, blunt, strident, forthright, singing, sonant, lyric, oral, vowel, sung, frank, round, free

Nearby words

  1. vocab,
  2. vocab.,
  3. vocable,
  4. vocabulary,
  5. vocabulary entry,
  6. vocal cord,
  7. vocal cord nodules,
  8. vocal cords,
  9. vocal fold,
  10. vocal folds

Origin of vocal

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin vōcālis, equivalent to vōc- (stem of vōx) voice + -ālis -al1
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vocal

British Dictionary definitions for vocal

vocal

/ (ˈvəʊkəl) /

adjective

noun

a piece of jazz or pop music that is sung
a performance of such a piece of music
Derived Formsvocality (vəʊˈkælɪtɪ), nounvocally, adverb

Word Origin for vocal

C14: from Latin vōcālis possessed of a voice, from vōx voice
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
Word Origin and History for vocal

vocal

adj.

late 14c., "spoken, oral," from Old French vocal, from Latin vocalis "sounding, sonorous, speaking," as a noun, "a vowel," from vox (genitive vocis) "voice" (see voice (n.)). In reference to music (as opposed to instrumental), first recorded 1580s; meaning "outspoken" first attested 1871. Vocal cords is from 1872; see cord.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for vocal

vocal

[ vō′kəl ]

adj.

Of or relating to the voice.
Capable of emitting sound or speech.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.