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diphthong
6 dictionary results for: diphthong
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
diph·thong 
[dif-thawng, -thong, dip-] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[dif-thawng, -thong, dip-] Pronunciation Key –noun
–verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
| 1. | Phonetics. an unsegmentable, gliding speech sound varying continuously in phonetic quality but held to be a single sound or phoneme and identified by its apparent beginning and ending sound, as the oi-sound of toy or boil. |
| 2. | (not in technical use)
|
| 3. | to diphthongize. |
[Origin: 1425–75; late ME diptonge < LL diphthongus < Gk díphthongos lit., having two sounds (di- di-1 + phthóngos voice, sound)]
] —Related forms
diph·thon·gal
[dif-thawng-guhl, -thong-, dip-] Pronunciation Key, diph·thon·gic, diph·thon·gous, adjective
[dif-thawng-guhl, -thong-, dip-] Pronunciation Key, diph·thon·gic, diph·thon·gous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| diph·thong
(dĭf'thông', -thŏng', dĭp'-) Pronunciation Key
n. A complex speech sound or glide that begins with one vowel and gradually changes to another vowel within the same syllable, as (oi) in boil or (ī) in fine. [Middle English diptonge, from Old French diptongue, from Late Latin diphthongus, from Greek diphthongos : di-, two; see di-1 + phthongos, sound.] diph·thon'gal adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
diphthong
diphthong
1483, from M.Fr., from L.L., from Gk. diphthongos, from di- "double" + phthongos "sound, voice," related to phthengesthai "utter, speak loudly."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| diphthong | |
noun | |
| a vowel sound that starts near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves toward the position for another |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Diphthong
Diph"thong\ (?; 115, 277), n. [L. diphthongus, Gr. ?; di- = di`s- twice + ? voice, sound, fr. ? to utter a sound: cf. F. diphthongue.] (Ortho["e]py) (a) A coalition or union of two vowel sounds pronounced in one syllable; as, ou in out, oi in noise; -- called a proper diphthong. (b) A vowel digraph; a union of two vowels in the same syllable, only one of them being sounded; as, ai in rain, eo in people; -- called an improper diphthong.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Diphthong
Diph"thong\, v. t. To form or pronounce as a diphthong; diphthongize. [R.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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