Vocalized

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To emit sounds using the voice in order to communicate ideas or emotions while producing audible speech or song
2. To use one's voice to create sounds that convey meaning or feelings, effectively articulating speech and song
3. Made or expressed through spoken sounds, especially speech or singing

Etymology: "Vocalized" is the American spelling of "vocalised," a past form of the verb "vocalise," which means to give voice to sounds or to sing. The verb comes from "vocal," the adjective for things relating to the voice, which descends from Latin "vocalis," meaning "vocal" or "sounding," itself built on "vox," "voice." Speakers used the root to describe anything produced by the voice, and the verb followed that path by turning the adjective into an action: to make the voice do something. The spelling difference is the only reason the American form looks unusual. Both spellings carry the same sense, so a reader in either country will recognize the meaning at once. The verb's core idea has stayed steady across its history, which is why the word still refers to producing audible sound rather than thinking or speaking in the abstract.

Synonyms: voiced, spoken

Antonyms: silent, mute