vocable n : a word that is spoken aloud [syn: spoken word]

English

Etymology

From French vocable or Latin vocabulum, from Latin vocare ‘call’.

Pronunciation

• /'vəʊkəbəl/

Noun

1. a word or utterance, especially with reference to its form rather than its meaning
   • 1974: 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. — Anthony Burgess, The Clockwork Testament

French

Etymology

From Latin vocabulum, from vocare ‘call’.

Pronunciation

/vɔkabl/

Noun

vocable m

1. a term

In speech, a vocable is an utterance, term, or word that is capable of being spoken and recognized. A non-lexical vocable is used without semantic role or meaning, while structure of vocables is often considered apart from any meaning. A vocable consists of one or a sequence of phonemes and may be represented by a string of letters or other symbols.

Non-lexical vocables are often used in music.

See also

• Non-lexical vocables in music
• Onomatopoeia

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