diphthong

Pronunciation: /ˈdɪfˌθɒŋ(ɡ)/

The English word “diphthong” has 3 meanings listed here.

noun

A complex vowel sound that begins with the sound of one vowel and ends with the sound of another vowel, in the same syllable.
A diaphoneme realized as a two-target vowel in some but not necessarily all dialects.
A vowel digraph or ligature.

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Hellenic *dwi- Ancient Greek δι- (di-) Ancient Greek φθέγγομαι (phthéngomai) Ancient Greek φθόγγος (phthóngos) Ancient Greek δῐ́φθογγος (dĭ́phthongos)der. Latin diphthongusbor. French diphtongueder. English diphthong From French diphtongue, from Late Latin diphthongus, from Ancient Greek δίφθογγος…

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