vowel
Phonetics.
(in English articulation) a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to consonant).
(in a syllable) the sound of greatest sonority, as i in grill.: Compare consonant (def. 1b).
(in linguistic function) a concept empirically determined as a phonological element in structural contrast with consonant, as the (ē) of be (bē), we (wē), and yeast (yēst).
a letter representing or usually representing a vowel, as, in English, a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y.
of or relating to a vowel.
Origin of vowel
1Other words from vowel
- vow·el·less, adjective
- vow·el·like, adjective
- vow·el·y, vow·el·ly, adverb
Words Nearby vowel
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use vowel in a sentence
It’s so hard to see those vowel-rich words, for some reason.
The time between the release and the vowel sound is the voice onset time.
Ask the experts: How to create a top-notch science fair project | JoAnna Wendel | October 29, 2021 | Science News For StudentsNote that there’s no rule that says you can’t drop one single vowel and put that same vowel back one letter over.
So for this contest — which of course is an arbitrary game and not a linguistic study — A, E, I, O and U will always be vowels.
The most popular six-letter cheese in puzzles is ASIAGO, with its many vowels making it relatively easy to fit into a grid.
Just pop the silicone lips into your mouth and repeat vowel sounds, according to directions, for a “more youthful, vibrant” face.
DIY Plastic Surgery: Can You Change Your Face Without Going Under the Knife? | Nina Strochlic | January 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThese include traditional names with feminine qualities such as softer sounds and/or vowel endings: Joshua, Sebastian, Elijah.
2010's Hot Boy Baby Name Trend | Pamela Redmond Satran/Nameberry | November 9, 2010 | THE DAILY BEASTHere we see an au naturel Moore, bra-less in faded rock T-shirts and vowel-mangling California accent.
Edelstein also urges you to “explore” certain vowel sounds, stress antitheses in the passages, and get into character (sometimes).
These are the names of American politics in the 21st century—continent-hopping and vowel-heavy.
The readings pleye, pley are evidently false; the scribe has omitted the stroke for n above the vowel.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerMoreover, the rime is a false one, since swote and aboute have different vowel-sounds.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerIn the orthography of the Félibres the diagraph ue is used as we find it in Old French to represent this vowel.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred DownerIt is to be noted here that the adverb has the vowel of the old feminine termination a, and not the modern o.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred DownerIt seems best to follow the majority, especially as they allow suffice to be followed by a vowel, thus eliding the final e.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey Chaucer
British Dictionary definitions for vowel
/ (ˈvaʊəl) /
phonetics a voiced speech sound whose articulation is characterized by the absence of friction-causing obstruction in the vocal tract, allowing the breath stream free passage. The timbre of a vowel is chiefly determined by the position of the tongue and the lips
a letter or character representing a vowel
Origin of vowel
1Derived forms of vowel
- vowel-less, adjective
- vowel-like, adjective
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
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