vocal

English Online Dictionary. What means vocal‎? What does vocal mean?

English

Etymology

Late Middle English vocal, borrowed from Latin vōcālis (“uttering a voice, sounding, speaking”), from vōx (“a voice, sound, tone”) +‎ -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of vowel and vocalis. Compare Old French vocal.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvəʊ.kəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈvoʊ.kəl/
• Rhymes: -əʊkəl

Adjective

vocal (comparative more vocal, superlative most vocal)

1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling the human voice or speech.
   1. (anatomy) Used in the production of speech sounds.

   2. (music) Relating to, composed or arranged for, or sung by the human voice.
   3. (phonetics) Consisting of, or characterized by, voice, or tone produced in the larynx, which may be modified, either by resonance, as in the case of the vowels, or by obstructive action, as in certain consonants, such as v, l, etc., or by both, as in the nasals m, n, ng.

      Synonyms: sonant, intonated, voiced

   4. (phonetics) Synonym of vocalic.
2. Uttered or modulated by the voice; expressed in words.

   Synonyms: oral, audible

   Antonyms: inaudible, quiet, silent, voiceless

   1. Expressing opinions or feelings freely, loudly, or insistently.

      Synonyms: outspoken, loud, audible

      Antonyms: inaudible, quiet, silent

   2. Having or exercising the power of producing voice, speech, or sound.

      Synonym: spoken
   3. Synonym of expressive.
   4. Full of voices.

      Synonym: resounding

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

vocal (plural vocals)

1. (phonetics) A vocal sound; specifically, a purely vocal element of speech, unmodified except by resonance; a vowel or a diphthong; a tonic element; a tonic.

   Coordinate terms: subvocal, nonvocal

2. (music) A part of a piece of music that is sung.

   Synonym: song

   Hyponyms: backup vocals, lead vocals

   1. (acting) A musical performance involving singing.
3. (Catholicism) A man in the Roman Catholic Church who has a right to vote in certain elections.

Derived terms

• off vocal
• vocalic
• vocalese

Related terms

See also

• voice
• vowel

References

• “vocal”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “vocal”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

Noun

vocal f (plural vocales)

1. (grammar) A vowel.

Related terms

• voz

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [buˈkal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian) [voˈkal]
• Homophones: bocal, bucal (Central)
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

vocal m or f (masculine and feminine plural vocals)

1. vocal

Derived terms

• corda vocal
• vocalista
• vocalitzar
• vocalment

Related terms

• veu

Noun

vocal f (plural vocals)

1. vowel

Derived terms

• vocàlic

Further reading

• “vocal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “vocal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “vocal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “vocal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French vocal, borrowed from Latin vōcālis. Doublet of voyelle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɔ.kal/
• Homophones: vocale, vocales

Adjective

vocal (feminine vocale, masculine plural vocaux, feminine plural vocales)

1. vocal, related to the voice

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Turkish: vokal

Further reading

• “vocal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Etymology 2

Ellipsis of message vocal. Compare Italian vocale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɔ.kal/

Noun

vocal m (plural vocaux)

1. (slang) voice message

Further reading

• "vocal", Dictionnaire des francophones [1]

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

Adjective

vocal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular vocale)

1. vocal (relating to a voice or voices)

Descendants

• French: vocal
• → Middle English: vocal
  • English: vocal

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vōcālis. Doublet of vogal.

Pronunciation

• Homophones: bocal (Porto), bucal (Porto)
• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: vo‧cal

Adjective

vocal m or f (plural vocais)

1. vocal (of or relating to the voice or speech)
2. vocal (uttered or modulated by the voice)

Derived terms

• vocalmente

Noun

vocal m or f by sense (plural vocais)

1. vocalist (singer in a band)

   Synonym: vocalista

Related terms

• vogal
• voz

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French vocal, from Latin vocalis.

Adjective

vocal m or n (feminine singular vocală, masculine plural vocali, feminine and neuter plural vocale)

1. vocal

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /boˈkal/ [boˈkal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: vo‧cal

Noun

vocal f (plural vocales)

1. vowel

Noun

vocal m or f by sense (plural vocales)

1. voter, member with vote rights

Descendants

• → Cebuano: bokal

Adjective

vocal m or f (masculine and feminine plural vocales)

1. by means of the voice
2. related to the voice
3. using the voice

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “vocal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Anagrams

• clavo