vocalise

[voh-kuh-leez]

noun

a musical composition consisting of the singing of melody with vowel sounds or nonsense syllables rather than text, as for special effect in classical compositions, in polyphonic jazz singing by special groups, or in virtuoso vocal exercises.

any such singing exercise or vocalized melody.

Compare doo-wop, melisma, scat singing, solfeggio.

Origin of vocalise

1870–75; < French vocalise, apparently noun derivative of vocaliser to vocalize, with -ise taken as a noun suffix (see -ise²)

vocalise

[voh-kuh-lahyz]

verb (used with or without object), vo·cal·ised, vo·cal·is·ing.

Chiefly British. vocalize.

vocalize

[voh-kuh-lahyz]

verb (used with object), vo·cal·ized, vo·cal·iz·ing.

to make vocal; utter; articulate; sing.

to endow with a voice; cause to utter.

Phonetics.

to voice.
to change into a vowel (contrasted with consonantalize).

(of Hebrew, Arabic, and other writing systems that do not usually indicate vowels) to furnish with vowels or vowel points.

verb (used without object), vo·cal·ized, vo·cal·iz·ing.

to use the voice, as in speech or song.

to sing without uttering words, especially to warm up the voice, practice vowel sounds, etc., before a performance.

to sing scales, arpeggios, trills, or the like, usually to a solmization syllable or a vowel sound.

Phonetics. to become changed into a vowel.

Also especially British, vo·cal·ise.

Origin of vocalize

First recorded in 1660–70; vocal + -ize

Related formsvo·cal·i·za·tion, nounvo·cal·iz·er, nounmis·vo·cal·i·za·tion, nounnon·vo·cal·i·za·tion, nounsub·vo·cal·ize, verb, sub·vo·cal·ized, sub·vo·cal·iz·ing.un·vo·cal·ized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for vocalise

Historical Examples of vocalise

These are followed by a vocalise or two, and a couple of songs or arias, which fill out the thirty minutes.
The Psychology of Singing
David C. Taylor
There are, I am aware, certain races who are unable to vocalise certain sounds and accordingly modify them.
Archaic England
Harold Bayley

British Dictionary definitions for vocalise

vocalise

noun

a musical passage sung upon one vowel as an exercise to develop flexibility and control of pitch and tone; solfeggio

vocalize

vocalise

verb

to express with or use the voice; articulate (a speech, song, etc)

(tr) to make vocal or articulate

(tr) phonetics

to articulate (a speech sound) with voice
to change (a consonant) into a vowel

another word for vowelize

(intr) to sing a melody on a vowel, etc

Derived Formsvocalization or vocalisation, nounvocalizer or vocaliser, noun

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 vocalise

vocalize

1660s, from vocal + -ize. Related: Vocalized; vocalizing.