vocal

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.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvəʊ.kəl/

  • Audio (Received Pronunciation):

    (file)

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

vocal (comparative more vocal, superlative most vocal)

1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling the human voice or speech.

   vocal problems

   1. (anatomy) Used in the production of speech sounds.

      vocal apparatus

   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.

   vocal melody, vocal prayer, vocal worship

   Synonyms: oral, audible

   Antonyms: inaudible, quiet, silent, voiceless

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

      The protesters were very vocal in their message to the mayor.

      Synonyms: outspoken, loud, audible

      Antonyms: inaudible, quiet, silent

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

      Synonym: spoken

      • 1667, John Milton, Paradise Lost:

        To hill or valley, fountain, or fresh shade,
        Made vocal by my song.

      • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, Canto XIX, page 32:

        The tide flows down, the wave again
        ⁠Is vocal in its wooded walls:
        ⁠My deeper anguish also falls,
        And I can speak a little then.

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

      Synonym: resounding

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

   • 1975, Billboard, volume 87, number 24, page 50:

     Best cuts: "The Evil Dude," "Kung Fu, Too!" "Mama Love," "New Orleans" (with a punchy vocal by Teresa Brewer).

   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.

• off vocal
• vocalic
• vocalese

• voice
• vowel

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

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

vocal f (plural vocales)

1. (grammar) A vowel.

• voz

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [buˈkal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [voˈkal]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: bocal, bucal (Central)
• Rhymes: -al

vocal m or f (masculine and feminine plural vocals)

1. vocal

• corda vocal
• vocalista
• vocalitzar
• vocalment

• veu

vocal f (plural vocals)

1. vowel

• vocàlic

• “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.

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

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

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

1. vocal, related to the voice

• → Turkish: vokal

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

Ellipsis of message vocal. Compare Italian vocale.

• IPA^(key): /vɔ.kal/

vocal m (plural vocaux)

1. (slang) voice message
   • T’inquiètes, je t’envoies un vocal pour t’expliquer.

     Don't worry, I'm gonna send you a voice message to explain it to you.

• "vocal", Dictionnaire des francophones [1]

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

vocal m (oblique and nominative feminine singular vocale)

1. vocal (relating to a voice or voices)

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

Learned borrowing from Latin vōcālis. Doublet of vogal.

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

vocal m or f (plural vocais)

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

• vocalmente

vocal m or f by sense (plural vocais)

1. vocalist (singer in a band)

   Synonym: vocalista

• vogal
• voz

Borrowed from French vocal, from Latin vocalis.

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

1. vocal

Borrowed from Latin vōcālis.

• IPA^(key): /boˈkal/ [boˈkal]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: vo‧cal

vocal f (plural vocales)

1. vowel

vocal m or f by sense (plural vocales)

1. voter, member with vote rights

• → Cebuano: bokal

vocal m or f (masculine and feminine plural vocales)

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

• “vocal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28

• clavo