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vowelless

 - 2 dictionary results

vow⋅el

  [vou-uhl]
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–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.
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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
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