apophonic
|a-po-pho-nic|
🇺🇸
/ˌæpəˈfɑnɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌæpəˈfɒnɪk/
relating to vowel/sound alternation
Etymology
'apophonic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apophōnía' (ἀποφωνία), where 'apo-' meant 'away, off' and 'phōnē' meant 'voice' or 'sound'.
'apophonic' came into English via the noun 'apophony' (a scholarly/linguistic term), itself borrowed from Modern Latin/Germanic linguistic usage (e.g. German 'Apophonie') which in turn derived from Greek, and the adjective 'apophonic' developed in English to describe things pertaining to apophony.
Initially it referred broadly to sound differences or lack of voice; in linguistic usage it evolved to mean specifically 'relating to systematic sound alternations (especially vowel alternations) within related words.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to apophony (systematic alternation of sounds, especially vowel changes, within a word family — e.g. sing ~ sang ~ sung).
Linguists described the verb set as apophonic because the vowel changes mark tense: sing, sang, sung.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/21 07:28