vowel
[ vou-uh l ]
/ ˈvaʊ əl /
noun
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.
adjective
of or relating to a vowel.
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Nearby words
vouchsafe, vouge, voussoir, vouvray, vow, vowel, vowel gradation, vowel harmony, vowel mutation, vowel point, vowel rhyme
Origin of vowel
Related forms
vow·el·less, adjectivevow·el·like, adjectivevow·el·y, vow·el·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for vowel
British Dictionary definitions for vowel
vowel
/ (ˈvaʊəl) /
noun
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
Derived Forms
vowel-less, adjectivevowel-like, adjectiveWord Origin for vowel
C14: from Old French vouel, from Latin vocālis littera a vowel, from vocālis sonorous, from vox a voice
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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