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View synonyms for vowel

vowel

[vou-uhl]

noun

  1. Phonetics.

    1. (in English articulation) a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs (consonant ).

    2. (in a syllable) the sound of greatest sonority, as i in grill.

    3. (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).

  2. a letter representing or usually representing a vowel, as, in English, a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y.



adjective

  1. of or relating to a vowel.

vowel

/ ˈvaʊəl /

noun

  1. 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

  2. a letter or character representing a vowel

“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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Other Word Forms

  • vowel-less adjective
  • vowel-like adjective
  • vowelless adjective
  • vowellike adjective
  • vowely adverb
  • vowelly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of vowel1

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French vowel < Latin vōcālis vocal
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Word History and Origins

Origin of vowel1

C14: from Old French vouel, from Latin vocālis littera a vowel, from vocālis sonorous, from vox a voice
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The way he finishes notes, the way he slurs into notes, the way vowels sound, the choices of sounds he uses in the lyrics he writes—it’s just clever,” he said.

Her delivery tends toward the soft and musical, and that she is wearing her own accent, which, to a Californian’s ear, plays charming variations on vowels, is all to the good.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But the kids, with the exception of some open vowels here and there, sounded like pretty generic young Americans.

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“I also make audio files on Dropbox for each of them where I teach them their parts, such as how to get the notes and make the vowels.”

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Its rebrand to Abrdn in 2021 was largely derided, with some saying it seemed like a typo, and others joking the firm had "irritable vowel syndrome".

Read more on BBC

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vowvowel gradation