vowel
vow.el \'vau.(-*)l\ n [ME, fr. MF vouel, fr. L vocalis - more at VOCALIC] 1: one of a class of speech sounds in the articulation of which the oral pa rt of the breath channel is not blocked and is not constricted enough to cause audible friction; broadly : the one most prominent sound in a syllable 2: a letter or other symbol representing a vowel - usu. used in English o f a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y