VOWEL

[noun] [C] - a speech sound produced by human beings when the breath flows out through the mouth without being blocked by the teeth, tongue or lipsA short vowel is a short sound as in the word 'cup'.A long vowel is a long sound as in the word 'shoe'.Compare consonant.A vowel is also a letter that represents a sound produced in this way.The vowels in English are a, e, i, o and u, but in some other languages y, h, r and w are also considered to be vowels.