schwa
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schwa
(shwä)n.
1. A mid-central neutral vowel, typically occurring in unstressed syllables, as the final vowel of English sofa.
2. The symbol (ə) used to represent an unstressed neutral vowel and, in some systems of phonetic transcription, a stressed mid-central vowel, as in but.
[German, from Hebrew šəwā', probably from Syriac (nuqzē) šwayyā, even (points), pl. passive participle of šwā, to be even; see šwy in Semitic roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
schwa
(ʃwɑː) orshwa
n
1. (Phonetics & Phonology) a central vowel represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet by (ə). The sound occurs in unstressed syllables in English, as in around, mother, and sofa
2. (Phonetics & Phonology) the symbol (ə) used to represent this sound
[C19: via German from Hebrew shewā, a diacritic indicating lack of a vowel sound]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
schwa
or shwa
(ʃwɑ)n., pl. schwas or shwas.
1. the mid-central, neutral vowel sound typically occurring in unstressed syllables in English, as the sound of a in alone and sofa or u in circus.
2. the phonetic symbol ə, used to represent this sound.
[1890–95; < German < Hebrew shəwā name of a diacritic marking schwa or no vowel]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | schwa - a neutral middle vowel; occurs in unstressed syllables vowel, vowel sound - a speech sound made with the vocal tract open murmur vowel, murmur - a schwa that is incidental to the pronunciation of a consonant |
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Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
schwa
n (Phon) → Schwa nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007