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onomatopoeia - 5 dictionary results

on⋅o⋅mat⋅o⋅poe⋅ia

  [on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‑mah-tuh‑]
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–noun
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.
Origin:
1570–80; < LL < Gk onomatopoiía making of words = onomato- (comb. form of ónoma name ) + poi- (s. of poieîn to make; see poet ) + -ia -ia

Related forms:
on⋅o⋅mat⋅o⋅poe⋅ic, on⋅o⋅mat⋅o⋅po⋅et⋅ic  [on-uh-mat-uh-poh-et-ik] , adjective
on⋅o⋅mat⋅o⋅poe⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, on⋅o⋅mat⋅o⋅po⋅et⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Onomatopoeia

On`o*mat`o*p[oe]"ia\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; ?, ?, a name + ? to make.] (Philol.) The formation of words in imitation of sounds; a figure of speech in which the sound of a word is imitative of the sound of the thing which the word represents; as, the buzz of bees; the hiss of a goose; the crackle of fire.

Note: It has been maintained by some philologist that all primary words, especially names, were formed by imitation of natural sounds.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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onomatopoeia 
1577, from L.L., from Gk. onomatopoiia "the making of a name or word" (in imitation of a sound associated with the thing being named), from onomatopoios, from onoma (gen. onomatos) "word, name" (see name) + a derivative of poiein "compose, make" (see poet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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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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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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