vocal

[voh-kuh l] /ˈvoʊ kəl/
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or uttered with the voice:
the vocal mechanism; vocal criticism.
2.
rendered by or intended for singing:
vocal music.
3.
having a voice:
A dog is a vocal, but not a verbal, being.
4.
giving forth sound with or as with a voice.
5.
inclined to express oneself in words, especially copiously or insistently:
a vocal advocate of reform.
6.
Phonetics.
  1. vocalic (def 1).
  2. voiced.
noun
7.
a vocal sound.
8.
a musical piece for a singer, usually with instrumental accompaniment.
Compare instrumental (def 6).
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin vōcālis, equivalent to vōc- (stem of vōx) voice + -ālis -al1
Related forms
vocality
[voh-kal-i-tee] /voʊˈkæl ɪ ti/ (Show IPA), vocalness, noun
vocally, adverb
nonvocal, adjective, noun
nonvocally, adverb
nonvocalness, noun
nonvocality, noun
Synonyms
5. vociferous, outspoken.
Examples from the web for vocal
  • Use the same body language and vocal cues you would use when discussing your favorite research or pie recipe.
  • But in the aftermath of the crisis, industrial policy has gathered some vocal champions.
  • The red-faced monkeys frequently utter what researchers have dubbed coo calls to maintain vocal contact with one another.
  • The size of the animal or the vocal fold, or the frequency of the sound, didn't matter.
  • But he did receive one piece of good news: vocal support from a prominent board member.
  • Gonzales's agent after vocal protests from their peers and professors.
  • Even though birds sing and bees dance, nothing in nature matches a human's richly complicated system of vocal communication.
  • When judged by its size, our vocal system fails to impress as a musical instrument.
  • As you sing you vocal pitch is then matched to the target notes.
  • One vocal cord was paralyzed, and his usual baritone was reduced to a weak, breathy whisper.
British Dictionary definitions for vocal

vocal

/ˈvəʊkəl/
adjective
1.
of, relating to, or designed for the voice: vocal music
2.
produced or delivered by the voice: vocal noises
3.
connected with an attribute or the production of the voice: vocal organs
4.
frequently disposed to outspoken speech, criticism, etc: a vocal minority
5.
full of sound or voices: a vocal assembly
6.
endowed with a voice
7.
eloquent or meaningful
8.
(phonetics)
  1. of or relating to a speech sound
  2. of or relating to a voiced speech sound, esp a vowel
noun
9.
a piece of jazz or pop music that is sung
10.
a performance of such a piece of music
Derived Forms
vocality (vəʊˈkælɪtɪ) noun
vocally, adverb
Word Origin
C14: from Latin vōcālis possessed of a voice, from vōx voice
Word Origin and History for vocal
adj.

late 14c., "spoken, oral," from Old French vocal, from Latin vocalis "sounding, sonorous, speaking," as a noun, "a vowel," from vox (genitive vocis) "voice" (see voice (n.)). In reference to music (as opposed to instrumental), first recorded 1580s; meaning "outspoken" first attested 1871. Vocal cords is from 1872; see cord.

vocal in Medicine

vocal vo·cal (vō'kəl)
adj.

  1. Of or relating to the voice.

  2. Capable of emitting sound or speech.