vocable en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈvəʊkəbl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- (US) audio
- /ˈvoʊkəbl̩/ (US)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ-der. Proto-Indo-European *wokʷ-der. Latin voc(ā) Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Italic *-ðlom Latin -bulum Latin vocābulumder. Middle French vocablebor. ▲ Latin vocābulumbor. Middle English vocable English vocable From Middle English vocable, from Middle French vocable and its etymon, Latin vocābulum, from vocō (“to call”).
Meanings
-
A word or utterance, especially with reference to its form rather than its meaning.
Without words and almost with the seriousness of asylum nurses they at once set upon an unsavoury-looking matron who began to cry out Mediterranean vocables of distress.
1974, Anthony Burgess, The Clockwork Testament:At first the man puzzled; then he smiled. He pronounced a string of uncouth vocables.
1925, John Buchan, The House of the Four Winds:
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A syllable or sound without specific meaning, used together with or in place of actual words in a song.
Many Native American songs employ vocables, syllables that do not have referential meaning. These may be used to frame words or may be inserted among them; in some cases, they constitute the entire song text.
a. 2010, Victoria Lindsay Levine, Native American Music, Encyclopaedia Britannica:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| vocables | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Relateds
Translations (10)
fi vokaabeli (linguistics: word or utterance) · pt vocábulo (linguistics: word or utterance) · fi äännähdys (linguistics: word or utterance) · bg дума (linguistics: word or utterance) · fi vokaabeli (music: syllable or sound without specific meaning) · ka სიტყვა (linguistics: word or utterance) · fi sane (linguistics: word or utterance) · fi lallatus (music: syllable or sound without specific meaning) · es vocablo (linguistics: word or utterance) · de Vokabel (linguistics: word or utterance)