# vocal

Pronunciation: say "VOH-kuhl" US /ˈvoʊ.kəl/, UK /ˈvəʊ.kəl/

## Adjective

1. Outspoken in making one's opinions or feelings known, often loudly or repeatedly.
   - Simple: Speaking out strongly and often about what you think or feel.
   - _The senator was vocal in her opposition to the bill._
   - _Critics became increasingly vocal about the company's labor practices._
2. Having to do with the human voice, or written, arranged, or performed for singers.
   - Simple: Made for or sung by the human voice, not played on instruments.
   - _The album features purely vocal tracks with no instrumental backing._
   - _Her vocal technique improved after years of choral training._
3. Having to do with the human voice or with speech, or sounding like them.
   - Simple: Connected with the human voice or with speaking.
   - _Researchers studied the vocal patterns of newborns._
   - _The instrument produced an oddly vocal tone, almost like a human cry._
4. Spoken aloud or shaped by the voice; put into words.
   - Simple: Said out loud using the voice, or put into words.
   - _Their consent was vocal and unmistakable._
   - _He preferred vocal instructions to written memos._
7. Involved in producing the sounds of speech.
   - Simple: Used by the body to make speech sounds.
   - _The vocal folds open and close rapidly during phonation._
   - _Smoking can damage the delicate vocal tissues._
8. Able to produce, or actively producing, voice, speech, or other sounds.
   - Simple: Able to make voice, speech, or sound.
   - _Howler monkeys are among the most vocal of all primates._
   - _The species becomes especially vocal at dawn._
9. Expressive; conveying feeling or meaning vividly.
   - Simple: Showing feelings or meaning in a clear, lively way.
   - _The portrait was strikingly vocal, every brushstroke charged with emotion._
   - _At the reunion, the empty chair at the head of the table was more vocal than any eulogy._
10. Characterized by tone produced in the larynx, whether shaped by resonance, as in vowels, or by partial obstruction, as in consonants like v, l, m, and n.
   - Simple: Made with a buzzing of the voice box, as in sounds like v, l, m, and n.
   - _Linguists classify the nasal m as a vocal consonant._
   - _Vowels are vocal sounds shaped mainly by resonance in the mouth._
11. Functioning as or relating to a vowel; vocalic.
   - Simple: Being or acting like a vowel sound.
   - _Some sonorant consonants take on a vocal function between other sounds._
   - _The syllable's vocal nucleus carries its stress._
13. Full of voices; resounding with voices.
   - Simple: Filled with the sound of many voices.
   - _The forest was vocal with birdsong at dawn._
   - _The crowded square grew vocal with protest._

## Noun

5. The sung portion of a piece of music.
   - Simple: The part of a song that is sung rather than played on instruments.
   - _The producer mixed the vocal louder than the backing track._
   - _Layered vocals gave the chorus a rich, full sound._
6. A musical performance that involves singing.
   - Simple: A musical act or show that involves singing.
   - _The talent night opened with a stirring vocal from the choir's soloist._
   - _Critics praised the vocals at the charity gala._
12. A purely voiced element of speech, unmodified except by resonance, such as a vowel or diphthong.
   - Simple: A vowel sound, made with an open, ringing voice.
   - _Each vocal in the syllable rings clearly when the word is sung slowly._
   - _Old grammars list the vocals separately from the consonants._
14. A man in the Roman Catholic Church entitled to vote in certain elections.
   - Simple: A man in the Catholic Church who is allowed to vote in certain church elections.
   - _Every vocal of the chapter received a written ballot for the election of the prior._
   - _A brother who had not yet taken his final vows was not counted among the vocals._

## Origin

Late Middle English vocal was borrowed from Latin vōcālis ("uttering a voice, sounding, speaking"), from vōx ("a voice, sound, tone") plus the adjectival suffix -ālis. It is a doublet of vowel.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/vocal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).