Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

vowel

 - 3 dictionary results
Vowel at Amazon
Millions of titles, new & used. Qualified orders over $25 ship free
Amazon.com/books

vow⋅el

  [vou-uhl]
Use vowel in a Sentence
–noun
1. Phonetics.
a. (in English articulation) a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to consonant ).
b. (in a syllable) the sound of greatest sonority, as i in grill. Compare consonant (def. 1b).
c. (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
3. of or pertaining to a vowel.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME < OF vowel < L vōcālis vocal

Related forms:
vow⋅el⋅less, adjective
vow⋅el⋅like, adjective
vow⋅el⋅y, vow⋅el⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To vowel
Vowel at Amazon
Millions of titles, new & used. Qualified orders over $25 ship free
Amazon.com/books
vow·el   (vou'əl)   
n.  

  1. A speech sound, such as (ē) or (ĭ), created by the relatively free passage of breath through the larynx and oral cavity, usually forming the most prominent and central sound of a syllable.

  2. A letter, such as a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y in the English alphabet, that represents a vowel.


[Middle English vowelle, from Old French vouel, from Latin (littera) vōcālis, sounding (letter), from vōx, vōc-, voice; see wekw- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

vowel 
c.1308, from O.Fr. vouel, from L. vocalis, in littera vocalis, lit. "vocal letter," from vox (gen. vocis) "voice" (see voice). Vowel shift in ref. to the pronunciation change between M.E. and Mod.Eng. is attested from 1909. The Hawaiian word hooiaioia, meaning "certified," has the most consecutive vowels of any word in current human speech; the English record-holder is queueing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see vowel on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way