VOWEL

vowel, vowel sound

(noun) a speech sound made with the vocal tract open

vowel

(noun) a letter of the alphabet standing for a spoken vowel

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

vowel (plural vowels)

(phonetics) A sound produced by the vocal cords with relatively little restriction of the oral cavity, forming the prominent sound of a syllable.

(orthography) A letter representing the sound of vowel; in English, the vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.

Antonyms

• (sound): consonant

• (letter): consonant

Verb

vowel (third-person singular simple present vowels, present participle (US) voweling or vowelling, simple past and past participle (US) voweled or vowelled)

(linguistics) To add vowel points to a consonantal script (e.g. niqqud in Hebrew or harakat in Arabic)

Synonyms

• vowelize

• vocalize

Anagrams

• wolve

Source: Wiktionary

Vow"el, n. Etym: [F. voyelle, or an OF. form without y, L. vocalis (sc. littera), from vocalis sounding, from vox, vocis, a voice, sound. See Vocal.] (Phon.)

Definition: 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, 146-149.

Note: In the English language, the written vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y. The spoken vowels are much more numerous. Close vowel. See under Close, a.

– Vowel point. See under Point, n.

Vow"el, a.

Definition: Of or pertaining to a vowel; vocal.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition