noun
vowel
VOW-ul/ˈvaʊəl/
A speech sound produced with relatively open airflow.
Air flows freely through your mouth when you pronounce a vowel.
Etymology
The pieces mean “relating to voice,” as in Latin “vocal letter.” This names an open, continuous speech sound, contrasted with consonants, which were thought to sound only together with vowels.
In context
the nature of a vowel is that in spoken languages is that the oral tract is relatively open
More examples
- The words “cat” and “cut” have different vowels.
- The singer holds the vowel until the music stops.
- The two letters in “see” represent a single vowel.
Forms
vowel · vowels