vowel
Use Vowel in a sentence
əl noun
1.
Phonetics.
a.
b.
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.
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. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To vowel
Collins
World English Dictionary
vowel (ˈvaʊəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| [C14: from Old French vouel, from Latin vocālis littera a vowel, from vocālis sonorous, from vox a voice] | |
| 'vowel-less | |
| —adj | |
| 'vowel-like | |
| —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
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Vowel
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc. |
Etymonline
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
On the first page, the vowel sound is introduced by a cartoon.
Vowel sounds and sibilant consonants slide out of my mouth, shapeless and inchoate even to my close collaborator.
The rule that a short vowel should not be retained before sc-, sp-, or st-was no matter of common notoriety in his day.
Here she takes a bold run at the linguistic challenge, only to fall at the hurdle of the first vowel sound.
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