Vowel Meaning
/ˈvaʊ.əl/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA sound produced by the vocal cords with relatively little restriction of the oral cavity, forming the prominent sound of a syllable.
nounA letter or diacritic representing the sound of a vowel; in English, the vowels are a, e, i, o, u, y (sometimes), and w (rarely).
Sentence Examples
A schwa represents a neutral vowel.
Vowel harmony is important in the Hungarian language.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
The letter 'a' is a ____ in the English alphabet and appears in many words.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The letter 'A' is a common ____ in the English language, along with several other letters like 'E' and 'I' today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English vowel, from Old French vouel, a variant of voyeul (whence French voyelle), from Latin vōcālis (“voiced”), itself a semantic loan of Koine Greek φωνῆεν (phōnêen). Doublet of vocal and vocalis.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"However it should be vowelled – perhaps ‘Almaqah’ – his name seems to be composed of ‘Il’, the general name of the paramount Semitic deity […], plus another element that is possibly from the Sabaic verb wqh, ‘to command’ […]."
— 2019, Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Arabs, Yale University Press, page 52:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The letter 'a' is a ____ in the English alphabet and appears in many words.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The letter 'A' is a common ____ in the English language, along with several other letters like 'E' and 'I' today.