■ noun
1》 the sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.
↘the ability to speak or singular
↘vocal condition for singing or speaking: the soprano is in good ~.
2》 an opinion or attitude, or a means or agency by which it is expressed: a dissenting ~.
3》 Music the range of pitch or type of tone with which a person sings, such as soprano or tenor.
↘a vocal part in a composition.
↘a constituent part in a fugue.
↘each of the notes or sounds able to be produced simultaneously by a musical instrument, especially an electronic one.
4》 Phonetics sound uttered with resonance of the vocal cords (used in the pronunciation of vowels and certain consonants).
5》 Grammar a form or set of forms of a verb showing the relation of the subject to the action: the passive ~.
■ verb
1》 express in words.
2》 [usu. as adjective ~d ] Phonetics utter (a speech sound) with resonance of the vocal cords.
3》 Music regulate the tone quality of (organ pipes).
Derivatives
-~d adjective
~ful adjective ( literary ).
~r noun
Origin
ME: from OFr. vois , from L. vox , voc- .