vowel
/ˈvauəl; `vaʊəl/ n
(a) speech-sound made without audible stopping of the breath by the tongue, lips, etc 元音
[attrib 作定语]
a vowel system 元音系统.
(b) letter or letters used to represent such a sound, eg a, e, i, o, u, ee, oa 元音字母. Cf 参看 consonant1.