Definition of vowel

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Vowel (n.) A vocal, or sometimes a whispered, sound modified by resonance in the oral passage, the peculiar resonance in each case giving to each several vowel its distinctive character or quality as a sound of speech; -- distinguished from a consonant in that the latter, whether made with or without vocality, derives its character in every case from some kind of obstructive action by the mouth organs. Also, a letter or character which represents such a sound. See Guide to Pronunciation, // 5, 1

Lern More About Vowel

Y :: Y () Y, the twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet, at the beginning of a word or syllable, except when a prefix (see Y-), is usually a fricative vocal consonant; as a prefix, and usually in the middle or at the end of a syllable, it is a vowel. See Guide to Pronunciation, // 145, 178-9, 272..
Servile :: Servile (a.) Not itself sounded, but serving to lengthen the preceeding vowel, as e in tune..
Triphthongal :: Triphthongal (a.) Of or pertaining to a triphthong; consisting of three vowel sounds pronounced together in a single syllable.
Tonic :: Tonic (a.) Of or relating to tones or sounds; specifically (Phon.), applied to, or distingshing, a speech sound made with tone unmixed and undimmed by obstruction, such sounds, namely, the vowels and diphthongs, being so called by Dr. James Rush (1833) from their forming the purest and most plastic material of intonation..
Synallagmatic :: Synalepha (n.) A contraction of syllables by suppressing some vowel or diphthong at the end of a word, before another vowel or diphthong; as, th' army, for the army..
Monophthong :: Monophthong (n.) A single uncompounded vowel sound.
Cata :: Cata () The Latin and English form of a Greek preposition, used as a prefix to signify down, downward, under, against, contrary or opposed to, wholly, completely; as in cataclysm, catarrh. It sometimes drops the final vowel, as in catoptric; and is sometimes changed to cath, as in cathartic, catholic..
Diphthong :: Diphthong (n.) 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..
Short :: Short (n.) A short sound, syllable, or vowel..
Ecthlipsis :: Ecthlipsis (n.) The elision of a final m, with the preceding vowel, before a word beginning with a vowel..
Aphesis :: Aphesis (n.) The loss of a short unaccented vowel at the beginning of a word; -- the result of a phonetic process; as, squire for esquire..
Vowel :: Vowel (a.) Of or pertaining to a vowel; vocal.
Tonic :: Tonic (n.) A tonic element or letter; a vowel or a diphthong.
Aspirate :: Aspirate (v. t.) To pronounce with a breathing, an aspirate, or an h sound; as, we aspirate the words horse and house; to aspirate a vowel or a liquid consonant..
Devocalize :: Devocalize (v. t.) To make toneless; to deprive of vowel quality.
Mid :: Mid (superl.) Made with a somewhat elevated position of some certain part of the tongue, in relation to the palate; midway between the high and the low; -- said of certain vowel sounds; as, a (ale), / (/ll), / (/ld). See Guide to Pronunciation, // 10, 11..
Shut :: Shut (a.) Cut off sharply and abruptly by a following consonant in the same syllable, as the English short vowels, /, /, /, /, /, always are..
A :: A (prep.) In process of; in the act of; into; to; -- used with verbal substantives in -ing which begin with a consonant. This is a shortened form of the preposition an (which was used before the vowel sound); as in a hunting, a building, a begging..
Vowel :: Vowel (n.) A vocal, or sometimes a whispered, sound modified by resonance in the oral passage, the peculiar resonance in each case giving to each several vowel its distinctive character or quality as a sound of speech; -- distinguished from a consonant in that the latter, whether made with or without vocality, derives its character in every case from some kind of obstructive action by the mouth organs. Also, a letter or character which represents such a sound. See Guide to Pronunciation, // 5, 1
Narrow :: Narrow (superl.) Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; -- distinguished from wide; as e (eve) and / (f/d), etc., from i (ill) and / (f/t), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, / 13..
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