Etymologically
Log in

vocal

Etymology and origin of the English word vocal

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1395
Borrowed from
Old French vocal
Ultimate origin
Latin (vox)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin vocalis
English vocal

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈvəʊ̯.kəl/ (UK); /ˈvoʊ̯.kəl/, /ˈvɔʊ̯.kəl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French vocal and directly borrowed from Latin vocalis (“sounding, speaking; as a noun, a vowel”),[2][3][4] from vox (“voice”) (genitive vocis) (see voice),[3][5] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *wekʷ- (“to speak”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of prayer, spoken, as opposed to mental: before 1395 in the OED, before 1396 in Barnhart.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

Hoad notes the word was rare before the 16th century.[5] Of music performed by the voice, as opposed to instrumental, it is from the 1580s.[3][6] Having a voice is from 1601, expressive or eloquent from 1608, and belonging to the voice from 1644.[2] Full of sound is in Milton's Paradise Lost (1667),[2] and in phonetics, voiced, from 1688.[2] Outspoken, making oneself heard, is attested by 1871,[3] and vocal cords from 1872.[3] NODE dates the current senses of the noun, a sung part in popular music, from the 1920s.[7]

Timeline

  • before 1395 – of spoken prayer.[6]
  • 1580s – of vocal music.[3]
  • 1601 – having a voice.[2]
  • 1871 – outspoken.[3]
  • 1872 – vocal cords.[3]
  • 1920s – a sung part (noun).[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Relating to or produced by the human voice.
  2. Expressing opinions freely and forcefully; outspoken.

Noun

  1. (often plural) The sung part of a piece of popular music.

Word family

  • vocally
  • vocalness
  • vocality
  • vocoid
  • vocalism
  • vocalist
  • vocalize
  • vocalise

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Vocal.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/vocal. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·