Adjacent Words

vocal cords definitions

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Merriam Webster's

noun plural Date: 1852 either of two pairs of folds of mucous membranes that project into the cavity of the larynx and have free edges extending dorsoventrally toward the middle line

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Vocal Vo"cal, a. [L. vocalis, fr. vox, vocis, voice: cf. F. vocal. See Voice, and cf. Vowel.] 1. Of or pertaining to the voice or speech; having voice; endowed with utterance; full of voice, or voices. To hill or valley, fountain, or fresh shade, Made vocal by my song. --Milton. 2. Uttered or modulated by the voice; oral; as, vocal melody; vocal prayer. ``Vocal worship.'' --Milton. 3. Of or pertaining to a vowel or voice sound; also, ?poken with tone, intonation, and resonance; sonant; sonorous; -- said of certain articulate sounds. 4. (Phon.) (a) 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; sonant; intonated; voiced. See Voice, and Vowel, also Guide to Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 199-202. (b) Of or pertaining to a vowel; having the character of a vowel; vowel. Vocal cords or chords. (Anat.) See Larynx, and the Note under Voice, n., 1. Vocal fremitus [L. fremitus a dull roaring or murmuring] (Med.), the perceptible vibration of the chest wall, produced by the transmission of the sonorous vibrations during the act of using the voice. Vocal music, music made by the voice, in distinction from instrumental music; hence, music or tunes set to words, to be performed by the human voice. Vocal tube (Anat.), the part of the air passages above the inferior ligaments of the larynx, including the passages through the nose and mouth.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

also vocal chords Your vocal cords are the part of your throat that vibrates when you speak. N-PLURAL