Wordwyrt

xylophone

/ˈzaɪləˌfəʊn/ZIGH-luh-fohn
/ˈzaɪləˌfoʊn/ZIGH-luh-fohn

Meaningwood sound

Common meaning: an instrument of wooden bars struck with hammers

‘wood’ + ‘voice, sound’ → xylophone

Journey through time

  1. Greekφωνή (phōnḗ)‘voice, sound’
  2. Englishxylophone‘an instrument of wooden bars struck with hammers’ · today

phon also in: phonologysymphonycacophonyhomophonemegaphone

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) ‘voice, sound’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry φωνή (phōnḗ), p. 877 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

cacophonyhomophonemegaphonemicrophonephonologysymphonytelephone

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app