Adjacent Words

Vocal definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VO'CAL, a. [L. vocalis. See Voice.]
1. Having a voice.
To hill or valley, fountain or fresh shade, made vocal by my song.
2. Uttered or modulated by the voice; as vocal melody; vocal prayer; vocal praise.
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.
VO'CAL, n. Among the Romanists, a man who has a right to vote in certain elections.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: relating to or designed for or using the singing voice; "vocal technique"; "the vocal repertoire"; "organized a vocal group to sing his compositions" [ant: instrumental]
2: having or using the power to produce speech or sound; "vocal organs"; "all vocal beings hymned their praise"
3: given to expressing yourself freely or insistently; "outspoken in their opposition to segregation"; "a vocal assembly" [syn: outspoken, vocal]
4: full of the sound of voices; "a playground vocal with the shouts and laughter of children" n
1: music intended to be performed by one or more singers, usually with instrumental accompaniment [syn: vocal music, vocal]
2: a short musical composition with words; "a successful musical must have at least three good songs" [syn: song, vocal]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin vocalis, from voc-, vox voice — more at voice Date: 14th century 1. a. uttered by the voice ; oral b. produced in the larynx ; uttered with voice 2. relating to, composed or arranged for, or sung by the human voice <vocal music> 3. vocalic 4. a. having or exercising the power of producing voice, speech, or sound b. expressive c. full of voices ; resounding d. given to expressing oneself freely or insistently ; outspoken <a highly vocal critic> e. expressed in words 5. of, relating to, or resembling the voice <vocal impairment> • vocality noun • vocally adverb II. noun Date: 1582 1. a vocal sound 2. a usually accompanied musical composition for the human voice ; song; also a performance of such a composition

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & n. --adj. 1 of or concerned with or uttered by the voice (a vocal communication). 2 expressing one's feelings freely in speech (was very vocal about his rights). 3 Phonet. voiced. 4 poet. (of trees, water, etc.) endowed with a voice or a similar faculty. 5 (of music) written for or produced by the voice with or without accompaniment (cf. INSTRUMENTAL). --n. 1 (in sing. or pl.) the sung part of a musical composition. 2 a musical performance with singing. Phrases and idioms: vocal cords folds of the lining membrane of the larynx near the opening of the glottis, with edges vibrating in the air-stream to produce the voice. vocal score a musical score showing the voice parts in full. Derivatives: vocality n. vocally adv. Etymology: ME f. L vocalis (as VOICE)

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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Vocal Vo"cal, n. [Cf. F. vocal, LL. vocalis.] 1. (Phon.) A vocal sound; specifically, a purely vocal element of speech, unmodified except by resonance; a vowel or a diphthong; a tonic element; a tonic; -- distinguished from a subvocal, and a nonvocal. 2. (R. C. Ch.) A man who has a right to vote in certain elections.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. You say that people are vocal when they speak forcefully about something that they feel strongly about. He has been very vocal in his displeasure over the results... A public inquiry earlier this year produced vocal opposition from residents. ADJ • vocally Both these proposals were resisted by the developed countries, most vocally by the United States. ADV: usu ADV with v 2. Vocal means involving the use of the human voice, especially in singing. ...a wider range of vocal styles. ADJ: ADJ n • vocally Vocally, it is often a very accomplished performance... ADV: ADV with cl/group, ADV with v

Moby Thesaurus

alto, articulate, articulated, baritone, bass, bravura, choral, choric, coloratura, dramatic, eloquent, enunciated, expressed, expressive, falsetto, fluent, free, free-spoken, heroic, hymnal, intonated, lingual, linguistic, liturgical, lyric, nuncupative, operatic, oral, outspoken, parol, pronounced, psalmic, psalmodial, psalmodic, round, sacred, said, singing, smooth-spoken, sonant, soprano, sounded, speech, spoken, stentorian, tenor, treble, unwritten, uttered, venting, verbal, viva voce, vocalized, voiced, voiceful, voicing, vowel, vowellike