vocalese

V4O1C3A1L1E1S1E1

noun

Jazz singing genre where the lyrics are written to melodies that were originally parts of an all-instrumental composition or improvisation.

OriginEnglish vocal ← Middle English vocal ← Latin vōcālis →
Scrabble 13
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Meanings

nounvocalese (usually uncountable, plural vocaleses)

plural vocaleses

  1. uncountableusuallyJazz singing genre where the lyrics are written to melodies that were originally parts of an all-instrumental composition or improvisation.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*wekʷ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*wṓkʷs
  3. Proto-Italic*wōks
  4. Latinvōx
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  7. Latinvōcālis
  8. Middle Englishvocal
  9. Englishvocal
  10. Englishvocalese

From vocal + -ese.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

vocalese. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vocalese

MLA

“vocalese.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vocalese. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “vocalese,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/vocalese.

Source: vocalese on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.