vōcālis, e, adj. vox, that utters a voice, sounding, sonorous, speaking, crying, singing, vocal. Lit. Adj.: aves cantu aliquo aut humano sermone vocales, Plin. 10, 51, 72, § 141: ranae (opp. mutae), id. 8, 58, 83, § 227: scarabaei nocturno stridore, id. 11, 28, 34, § 98: piscis, id. 9, 19, 34, § 70: ora (vatis), Ov. M. 5, 332; 11, 8: nympha (of Echo), id. ib. 3, 357: Orpheus, Hor. C. 1, 12, 7: chordae, Tib. 2, 5, 3: carmen, Ov. M. 11, 317: boves, endowed with speech, Tib. 2, 5, 78: genus instrumenti, i. e. slaves (opp. semivocale and mutum), Varr. R. R. 1, 17, 1: ne quem vocalem praeteriisse videamur, speaking, talking, Cic. Brut. 69, 242; cf. Val. Max. 1, 8, ext. 4: antra, in which oracles were given, Stat. Th. 1, 492: terra, Dodonis, Ov. M. 13, 716: genus signorum, Veg. Mil. 3, 5.

—Comp.: vocaliora sunt vacua quam plena, Sen. Q. N. 2, 29; cf.: sunt aliis alia (verba) jucundiora, vocaliora ... verba e syllabis magis vocalia (corresp. to melius sonantes syllabae), more vocal, clearer, Quint. 8, 3, 16.

—Sup.: eligere vocalissimum aliquem, qui legeret, i. e. with the most powerful voice, Plin. Ep. 4, 7, 2.

— Substt. vōcālis, is, f. (littera), a vowel, Cic. Or. 23, 77; Auct. Her. 4, 12, 18; Quint. 1, 4, 6; 1, 5, 20; 1, 7, 14; 1, 7, 26.

— vōcāles, ium, m. (homines), vocalists, singers (late Lat.), Lampr. Alex. Sev. 34; Sid. Ep. 1, 2 fin.

— Transf.: causative, making vocal, causing or inspiring speech or song (rare and poet.): Castaliae vocales undae, Stat. S. 5, 5, 2: de Pieriis vocalis fontibus unda, id. ib. 1, 2, 6.

—Adv.: vōcāliter, with a loud cry, loudly (post-class.), App. M. 1, p. 112; Tert. adv. Prax. 3.