Phocal Pho"cal adjective (Zoology) Pertaining to seals.

Phocenic Pho·cen"ic adjective [ Greek ... a porpoise.] (Chemistry) Of or pertaining to dolphin oil or porpoise oil; - - said of an acid (called also delphinic acid) subsequently found to be identical with valeric acid. Watts.

Phocenin Pho·ce"nin noun [ Confer French phocénine .] (Chemistry) See Delphin .

Phocine Pho"cine adjective [ Latin phoca a seal.] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the seal tribe; phocal.

Phocodont Pho"co·dont noun (Zoology) One of the Phocodontia.

Phocodontia Pho`co·don"ti·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... a seal + ..., ..., a tooth.] (Zoology) A group of extinct carnivorous whales. Their teeth had compressed and serrated crowns. It includes Squalodon and allied genera.

Pholad Pho"lad noun (Zoology) Any species of Pholas.

Pholadean Pho·la"de·an noun (Zoology) Pholad.

Pholas Pho"las noun ; plural Pholades . [ New Latin , from Greek ..., ..., a kind of mollusk.] (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of marine bivalve mollusks of the genus Pholas , or family Pholadidæ . They bore holes for themselves in clay, peat, and soft rocks.

Phonal Pho"nal adjective [ Greek ... the voice.] Of or relating to the voice; as, phonal structure. Max Müller.

Phonascetics Pho`nas·cet"ics noun [ Greek ... to practice the voice; ... voice + ... to practice.] Treatment for restoring or improving the voice.

Phonation Pho·na"tion noun [ Greek ... the voice.] The act or process by which articulate sounds are uttered; the utterance of articulate sounds; articulate speech.

Phonautograph Pho·nau"to·graph noun [ Phono- + Greek ... self + -graph .] (Physics) An instrument by means of which a sound can be made to produce a visible trace or record of itself. It consists essentially of a resonant vessel, usually of paraboloidal form, closed at one end by a flexible membrane. A stylus attached to some point of the membrane records the movements of the latter, as it vibrates, upon a moving cylinder or plate.

Phone Phone noun & transitive verb Colloq. for Telephone .

Phoneidoscope Pho·nei"do·scope noun [ Phono- + Greek ... form + -scope .] (Physics) An instrument for studying the motions of sounding bodies by optical means. It consists of a tube across the end of which is stretched a film of soap solution thin enough to give colored bands, the form and position of which are affected by sonorous vibrations.

Phonetic Pho·net"ic adjective [ Greek ..., from ... a sound, tone; akin to Greek ... to speak: confer French phonétique . See Ban a proclamation.] 1. Of or pertaining to the voice, or its use. 2. Representing sounds; as, phonetic characters; -- opposed to ideographic ; as, a phonetic notation. Phonetic spelling , spelling in phonetic characters, each representing one sound only; -- contrasted with Romanic spelling , or that by the use of the Roman alphabet.

Phonetically Pho·net"ic·al·ly adverb In a phonetic manner.

Phonetician Pho`ne·ti"cian noun One versed in phonetics; a phonetist.

Phonetics Pho·net"ics noun 1. The doctrine or science of sounds; especially those of the human voice; phonology. 2. The art of representing vocal sounds by signs and written characters.

Phonetism Pho"ne·tism noun The science which treats of vocal sounds. J. Peile.

Phonetist Pho"ne·tist noun 1. One versed in phonetics; a phonologist. 2. One who advocates a phonetic spelling.

Phonetization Pho`ne·ti·za"tion noun The act, art, or process of representing sounds by phonetic signs.

Phonetize Pho"ne·tize transitive verb To represent by phonetic signs. Lowell.

Phonic Phon"ic adjective [ Greek ... sound: confer French phonique .] Of or pertaining to sound; of the nature of sound; acoustic. Tyndall.

Phonics Phon"ics noun See Phonetics .

Phono Phono noun (Zoology) A South American butterfly ( Ithonia phono ) having nearly transparent wings.

Phono- Pho"no- A combining form from Greek ... sound , tone ; as, phono graph, phono logy.

Phonocamptic Pho`no·camp"tic adjective [ Phono- + Greek ... to bend: confer French phonocamptique .] Reflecting sound. [ R.] " Phonocamptic objects." Derham.

Phonogram Pho"no·gram noun [ Phono- + -gram .] 1. A letter, character, or mark used to represent a particular sound.

Phonograms are of three kinds: (1) Verbal signs, which stand for entire words; (2) Syllabic signs, which stand for the articulations of which words are composed; (3) Alphabetic signs, or letters, which represent the elementary sounds into which the syllable can be resolved.

I. Taylor (The Alphabet). 2. A record of sounds made by a phonograph.

Phonograph Pho"no·graph noun [ Phono- + -graph .] 1. A character or symbol used to represent a sound, esp. one used in phonography. 2. (Physics) An instrument for the mechanical registration and reproduction of audible sounds, as articulate speech, etc. It consists of a rotating cylinder or disk covered with some material easily indented, as tinfoil, wax, paraffin, etc., above which is a thin plate carrying a stylus. As the plate vibrates under the influence of a sound, the stylus makes minute indentations or undulations in the soft material, and these, when the cylinder or disk is again turned, set the plate in vibration, and reproduce the sound.

Phonographer Pho·nog"ra·pher noun 1. One versed or skilled in phonography. 2. One who uses, or is skilled in the use of, the phonograph. See Phonograph , 2.

Phonographic, Phonographical Pho`no·graph"ic, Pho`no·graph"ic·al adjective [ Confer French phonographique .] 1. Of or pertaining to phonography; based upon phonography. 2. Of or pertaining to phonograph; done by the phonograph.

Phonographically Pho`no·graph"ic·al·ly adverb In a phonographic manner; by means of phonograph.

Phonographist Pho·nog"ra·phist noun Phonographer.

Phonography Pho·nog"ra·phy noun [ Phono- + -graphy .] 1. A description of the laws of the human voice, or sounds uttered by the organs of speech. 2. A representation of sounds by distinctive characters; commonly, a system of shorthand writing invented by Isaac Pitman, or a modification of his system, much used by reporters. » The consonants are represented by straight lines and curves; the vowels by dots and short dashes; but by skilled phonographers, in rapid work, most vowel marks are omitted, and brief symbols for common words and combinations of words are extensively employed. The following line is an example of phonography, in which all the sounds are indicated: --

They also serve who only stand and wait.

Milton. 3. The art of constructing, or using, the phonograph.

Phonolite Pho"no·lite noun [ Phono- + -lite : confer French phonolithe .] (Min.) A compact, feldspathic, igneous rock containing nephelite, haüynite, etc. Thin slabs give a ringing sound when struck; -- called also clinkstone .

Phonologer Pho·nol"o·ger noun A phonologist.

Phonologic, Phonological Pho`no·log"ic, Pho`no·log"ic·al adjective Of or pertaining to phonology.

Phonologist Pho·nol"o·gist noun One versed in phonology.

Phonology Pho·nol"o·gy noun [ Phono- + -logy .] The science or doctrine of the elementary sounds uttered by the human voice in speech, including the various distinctions, modifications, and combinations of tones; phonetics. Also, a treatise on sounds.

Phonometer Pho·nom"e·ter noun [ Phono- + -meter .] (Physics) An instrument for measuring sounds, as to their intensity, or the frequency of the vibrations.

Phonomotor Pho`no·mo"tor noun [ Phono- + -motor .] (Physics) An instrument in which motion is produced by the vibrations of a sounding body.

Phonorganon Pho·nor"ga·non noun [ New Latin See Phono- , and Organon .] A speaking machine.

Phonoscope Pho"no·scope noun [ Phono- + -scope .] (Physics) (a) An instrument for observing or exhibiting the motions or properties of sounding bodies; especially, an apparatus invented by König for testing the quality of musical strings. (b) An instrument for producing luminous figures by the vibrations of sounding bodies.

Phonotype Pho"no·type (-tīp) noun [ Phono- + -type .] A type or character used in phonotypy.

Phonotypic, Phonotypical Pho`no·typ"ic, Pho`no·typ"ic·al adjective Of or pertaining to phonotypy; as, a phonotypic alphabet.

Phonotypist Pho·not"y·pist noun One versed in phonotypy.

Phonotypy Pho·not"y·py noun A method of phonetic printing of the English language, as devised by Mr. Pitman, in which nearly all the ordinary letters and many new forms are employed in order to indicate each elementary sound by a separate character.

Phorminx Phor"minx noun [ New Latin , from Greek ....] A kind of lyre used by the Greeks. Mrs. Browning.

Phormium Phor"mi·um noun [ New Latin from Greek ... a plaited mat, a kind of plant.] (Botany) A genus of liliaceous plants, consisting of one species ( Phormium tenax ). See Flax-plant .