metaphony

noun

me·​taph·​o·​ny mə-ˈta-fə-nē How to pronounce metaphony (audio)
plural metaphonies
: the change of a vowel sound brought about by assimilation to a preceding or following vowel

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French métaphonie, from méta- meta- + -phonie -phony

Note: The term was apparently introduced in Grammaire comparée des langues indo-européennes (Paris, 1866-74), a translation by the French linguist Michel Bréal of Franz Bopp's Vergleichende Grammatik des Sanskrit, Send, Armenischen, Griechischen, Lateinischen, Litauischen, Altslavischen, Gothischen und Deutschen, 2. Ausgabe, 1857-61. In tome 5, the index volume, compiled by Francis Meunier, a footnote is appended to the word apophonie, Bréal's translation of German Ablaut ablaut: "Il vaudrait peut-être mieux employer le terme de métaphonie" ("It would perhaps be better to use the term metaphony [i.e., in place of apophony]").

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of metaphony was in 1852

Browse Nearby Words

metaphonic
metaphony
metaphor
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Metaphony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphony. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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