Vocable
/ˈvəʊkəbl̩/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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."
- 2 a word that is spoken aloud wordnet
- 3 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."
Adjective
- 1 Able to be uttered. not-comparable
"a vocable marker"
Example
More examples"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."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English vocable, from Middle French vocable and its etymon, Latin vocābulum, from vocō (“I call”).
Etymology 2
From Latin vocō + -able.