ablauts

Noun

ablaut (countable and uncountable, plural ablauts)

1. The substitution of one root vowel for another, thus indicating a corresponding modification of use or meaning; vowel permutation, distinct from the phonetic influence of a succeeding vowel.
   • I declare to you that Literature was not written for schoolmasters, nor for schoolmistresses. I would not exchange it for a wilderness of schoolmasters. It should be delivered from them, who, with their silly Ablauts and ‘tendencies,’ can themselves neither read nor write.1920, Arthur Quiller-Couch, On The Art of Reading

   Synonyms:

   alternation

See all 3 meanings of ablaut