emvowel

English

WOTD – 13 June 2010

Alternative forms

• envowel

Etymology

By analogy with disembowel; attributed to Henry Fielding (1707-1754).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪmˈvaʊ.əl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊəl

Verb

emvowel (third-person singular simple present emvowels, present participle emvowelling, simple past and past participle emvowelled)

1. (dated, humorous) To replace a portion of a person's name with a dash in printing, in order to avoid libel.