on·o·mat·o·poe·ia

[on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‐mah-tuh‐]
noun
1.
the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
2.
a word so formed.
3.
the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect.
Origin:
1570–80; < Late Latin < Greek onomatopoiía making of words = onomato- (combining form of ónoma name) + poi- (stem 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. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To onomatopoetic
00:10
Onomatopoetic is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
onomatopoeia (ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the formation of words whose sound is imitative of the sound of the noise or action designated, such as hiss, buzz, and bang
2.  the use of such words for poetic or rhetorical effect
 
[C16: via Late Latin from Greek onoma name + poiein to make]
 
onomato'poeic
 
—adj
 
onomatopoetic
 
—adj
 
onomato'poeically
 
—adv
 
onomatopo'etically
 
—adv

onomatopoeia (ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the formation of words whose sound is imitative of the sound of the noise or action designated, such as hiss, buzz, and bang
2.  the use of such words for poetic or rhetorical effect
 
[C16: via Late Latin from Greek onoma name + poiein to make]
 
onomato'poeic
 
—adj
 
onomatopoetic
 
—adj
 
onomato'poeically
 
—adv
 
onomatopo'etically
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
It is true that many onomatopoetic words appeared in the dawn of human culture.
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