diph·thong

[dif-thawng, -thong, dip-]
noun
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.
a.
a digraph, as the ea of meat.
b.
a ligature, as æ.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)

Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English diptonge < Late Latin diphthongus < Greek díphthongos literally, having two sounds (di- di-1 + phthóngos voice, sound)

diph·thon·gal [dif-thawng-guhl, -thong-, dip-] , diph·thon·gic, diph·thon·gous, adjective
non·diph·thon·gal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To diphthongs
00:10
Diphthongs is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
diphthong (ˈdɪfθɒŋ, ˈdɪp-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a vowel sound, occupying a single syllable, during the articulation of which the tongue moves from one position to another, causing a continual change in vowel quality, as in the pronunciation of a in English late, during which the tongue moves from the position of (e) towards ()
2.  a digraph or ligature representing a composite vowel such as this, as ae in Caesar
 
[C15: from Late Latin diphthongus, from Greek diphthongos, from di-1 + phthongos sound]
 
diph'thongal
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

diphthong
late 15c., from M.Fr., from L.L., from Gk. diphthongos, from di- "double" + phthongos "sound, voice," related to phthengesthai "utter, speak loudly."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Use knowledge of spelling patterns such as diphthongs, and special vowel
  spellings when reading.
Sounds of individual letters, digraphs, and diphthongs are blended to form
  syllables.
Pronounce long and short vowels, blends, and diphthongs.
Demonstrate the difference between pure vowels and diphthongs.
Related Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT