Vowel
/ˈvaʊ.əl/noun
A speech sound produced with an open vocal tract, or a letter representing such a sound.
Did you know?The word ultimately descends from Latin vocalis, meaning “sounding” or “speaking,” because ancient grammarians recognized vowels as sounds that could be voiced on their own.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wekʷ-
“To speak or utter; the reconstructed root behind later words connected with voice.”
Classical Latin
Latin
vōx
“Voice, sound, or utterance.”
Classical Latin
Latin
vocalis
“Vocal, sounding, or related to the voice; the source of the grammatical term.”
8th–9th Century
Old French
vocal
“Vocal or pertaining to speech and sound.”
14th Century
Middle English
vouel
“A vowel sound or the written sign representing it.”
Modern English
English
vowel
“An open speech sound or a letter representing one.”