I. ˈdifˌthȯŋ, ÷ˈdipˌ- also -thäŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: alteration (influenced by Greek diphthongos ) of Middle English diptonge, from Middle French diptongue, from Late Latin dipthongus, from Greek diphthongos, from di- + phthongos voice, sound
1. : a gliding monosyllabic speech item that starts at or near the articulatory position for one vowel and moves to or toward the position for another (as the vowel combination that forms the last part of toy ) and that is usually indicated in phonetic transcription by two symbols representing often only approximately the beginning and ending limits of the glide (as kau̇ or kȧu̇ or kaw or kȧw for cow, tȯi or tȯy for toy, yät for yacht, wīz for wise )
2. : digraph
3.
[so called from their pronunciation as diphthongs in classical Latin]
: a form of the ligature æ or œ — a printer's term
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: diphthongize