Where does “vowel” come from?
Vowel comes from Old French vouel, from Latin vocalis, meaning "of or pertaining to the voice."
vowel (English): A sound produced by the vocal cords with...
Definitions
- A sound produced by the vocal cords with...
Ancestry of “vowel”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | vouel | Alternative form of voyeul |
| 2 | Old French | voyeul | vowel |
| 3 | Latin | vōcālis | uttering a voice, having a voice; speaking, sounding, sonorous, speaking, crying, singing, melodious; vocal |
| 4 | Latin | vōx | voice |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | wōks | voice |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wṓkʷs | voice, speech |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wekʷ- | to speak, to sound out |