sibilant
Pronunciation
  • (British, America) IPA: /ˈsɪb.ɪ.lənt/
Adjective

sibilant

  1. Characterized by a hissing sound such as the "s" or "sh" in sash or surge.
    • 1960: Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird
      She had a curious habit of prefacing everything she said with a soft sibilant sound.
      "S-s-s Grace," she said, "it's just like I was telling Brother Hutson the other day. 'S-s-s Brother Hutson,' I said, 'looks like we're fighting a losing battle, a losing battle.' I said."
Translations Noun

sibilant (plural sibilants)

  1. (phonetics) A consonant having a hissing sound such as the 's' or 'sh' in 'sash' or 'surge'.
    Synonyms: groove fricative
    Hypernyms: fricative
    • 1955: H. A. Gleason, An Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics, page 194, section 14.7
      Groove fricatives all have more or less of an [s]-like quality, and are for this reason sometimes called sibilants.
Translations Related terms


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