5 results for: onomatopoetic

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

on·o·mat·o·poe·ia

Audio Help [on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‑mah-tuh‑] Pronunciation Key

–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 poieǐn to make; see poet) + -ia -ia

]

—Related forms

on·o·mat·o·poe·ic, on·o·mat·o·po·et·ic

Audio Help [on-uh-mat-uh-poh-et-ik] Pronunciation Key, adjective

on·o·mat·o·poe·i·cal·ly, on·o·mat·o·po·et·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
onomatopoetic

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

on·o·mat·o·poe·ia Audio Help (ŏn'ə-māt'ə-pē'ə, -mä'tə-) Pronunciation Key
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 k^wei-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.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

onomatopoetic
adjective
1.	of or relating to or characterized by onomatopoeia [syn: onomatopoeic]
2.	(of words) formed in imitation of a natural sound; "onomatopoeic words are imitative of noises"; "it was independently developed in more than one place as an onomatopoetic term"- Harry Hoijer [syn: echoic] [ant: nonechoic]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Onomatopoetic

On`o*mat`o*po*et"ic\, a. Of or pertaining to onomatop[oe]ia; characterized by onomatop[oe]ia; imitative; as, an onomatopoetic writer or word. --Earle.

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