(in English articulation) a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to consonant).
(in a syllable) the sound of greatest sonority, as i in grill.Compare consonant (def. 1b).
(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).
a letter representing or usually representing a vowel, as, in English, a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y.
adjective
of or relating to a vowel.
Origin of vowel
1275–1325; Middle English <Old French vowel<Latin vōcālisvocal
In common with the Slav languages it has a sixth vowel, viz.
The Land of the Black Mountain|Reginald Wyon
In poetry the letter A of the article is occasionally elided before a word beginning with a vowel.
The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto|George Cox
There was the faintest hint of Cockney impurity about the vowel sounds.
Mortal Coils|Aldous Huxley
When preceded by a Vowel, and followed by a Consonant, it is often suppressed altogether; as, ta mi deanamh I am doing.
Elements of Gaelic Grammar|Alexander Stewart
British Dictionary definitions for vowel
vowel
/ (ˈvaʊəl) /
noun
phoneticsa 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
a letter or character representing a vowel
Derived forms of vowel
vowel-less, adjectivevowel-like, adjective
Word Origin for vowel
C14: from Old French vouel, from Latin vocālis littera a vowel, from vocālis sonorous, from vox a voice
Are There Any English Words That Have No Vowels?It's a question that just about every English learner has asked: "Are there any English words that have no vowels?" The answer to this depends on what you mean by "vowel" and "word."
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Why Are A, E, I, O, U, And Y Called “Vowels”?In elementary school, we all learned the vowels of the English language: A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y. But what exactly makes a vowel a vowel?
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Words related to vowel
articulate, verbal, operatic, choral, singing, sonant, lyric, oral, sung, voiced, phonetic, pronounced, said, uttered, articulated, expressed, intonated, modulated, phonic, put into words