ABLAUT

ablaut

(noun) a vowel whose quality or length is changed to indicate linguistic distinctions (such as sing sang sung song)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

ablaut (countable and uncountable, plural ablauts)

(linguistics) The substitution of one root vowel for another, thus indicating a corresponding modification of use or meaning; vowel permutation; as, get and got; sing and song; hang and hung, distinct from the phonetic influence of a succeeding vowel. [Mid 19th century.]

Synonyms

• (vowel) gradation, alternation, apophony

Verb

ablaut (third-person singular simple present ablauts, present participle ablauting, simple past and past participle ablauted)

(intransitive, linguistics, of a vowel-containing linguistic component) To undergo a change of vowel.

(transitive, linguistics) To cause to change a vowel.

Anagrams

• tabula

Source: Wiktionary


Ab"laut, n. Etym: [Ger., off-sound; ab off + laut sound.] (Philol.)

Definition: The substitution of one root vowel for another, thus indicating a corresponding modification of use or meaning; vowel permutation; as, get, gat, got; sing, song; hang, hung. Earle.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world. Each year Brazil exports more than 44 million bags of coffee. Vietnam follows at exporting over 27 million bags each year.

coffee icon