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1. consonant   /'kns()nnt/

→ noun 
a basic speech sound in which the breath is at least partly obstructed and which can be combined with a vowel to form a syllable. Contrasted with vowel.

• a letter representing a consonant.

→ adjective 
1. [attrib.] denoting or relating to a consonant: a consonant phoneme.
2. (consonant with) in agreement or harmony with: the findings are consonant with other research.

• (Music) making a harmonious interval or chord: the bass is consonant with all the upper notes.
- DERIVATIVES consonantal adjective  consonantly adverb .
- ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense ‘letter representing a consonant’): via Old French from Latin consonare ‘sound together’, from con- ‘with’ + sonare ‘to sound’ (from sonus ‘sound’).
 
2. vowel

→ noun 
a speech sound which is produced by comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract, with vibration of the vocal cords but without audible friction, and which is a unit of the sound system of a language that forms the nucleus of a syllable. Contrasted with consonant.

• a letter representing a vowel sound, such as a, e, i, o, u.
- DERIVATIVES vowelled ( (US) voweled ) adjective  [usu. in combination] vowelless adjective  vowelly adjective .
- ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French vouel, from Latin vocalis (littera) ‘vocal (letter)’.
 
3. diphthong   /'df,   'dp-/

→ noun 
a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves towards another (as in coin, loud, and side). Often contrasted with monophthong, triphthong.

• a digraph representing the sound of a diphthong or single vowel (as in feat). • a compound vowel character; a ligature (such as æ).
- DERIVATIVES diphthongal   /-'g()l/ adjective .
- ORIGIN late Middle English: from French diphtongue, via late Latin from Greek diphthongos, from di- ‘twice’ + phthongos ‘voice, sound’.
(USAGE For a discussion of the pronunciation of diphthong, see usage at diphtheria.)

1. kestrel: ({sm}k{ope}str{shti}l)

2. philology: Love of learning and literature; the branch of knowledge that deals with the historical, linguistic, interpretative, and critical aspects of literature; literary or classical scholarship. Now chiefly U.S.

3. crow: (kr{schwa}{shtu}) [OE. cráwe f., corresp. to OS. krâia, MLG. krâge, krâe, krâ, LG. kraie, kreie, MDu. kraeye, Du. kraai, OHG. chrâwa, chrâja, chrâ, crâwa, crâ, MHG. kræe, krâwe, krâ, Ger. krähe; a WG. deriv. of the vb. crâwan, crâian to CROW, q.v.] . Translation to Spanish: cuervo.