[on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‑mah-tuh‑] 
| 1. | the formation of a word, as cuckoo or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. |
| 2. | a word so formed. |
| 3. | Rhetoric. the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical effect. |
| on·o·mat·o·poe·ia (ŏn'ə-māt'ə-pē'ə, -mä'tə-) n. The formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. [Late Latin, from Greek onomatopoiiā, from onomatopoios, coiner of names : onoma, onomat-, name; see n  -men- in Indo-European roots + poiein, to make; see kwei-2 in Indo-European roots.]on'o·mat'o·poe'ic, on'o·mat'o·po·et'ic (-pō-ět'ĭk) adj., on'o·mat'o·poe'i·cal·ly, on'o·mat'o·po·et'i·cal·ly adv. |
onomatopoeia
the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (such as buzz or hiss). Onomatopoeia may also refer to the use of words whose sound suggests the sense. This occurs frequently in poetry, where a line of verse can express a characteristic of the thing being portrayed. In the following lines from Sylvia Plath's poem "Daddy," the rhythm of the words suggests the movement of a locomotive: An engine, an engine Chuffing me off like a Jew.A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.
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əˌmæt