Nearby Words

sibilant

[sib-uh-luhnt] Example Sentences Origin

sib·i·lant

[sib-uh-luhnt]
adjective
2.
Phonetics. characterized by a hissing sound; noting sounds like those spelled with s in this [this] , rose [rohz] , pressure [presh-er] , pleasure [plezh-er] , and certain similar uses of ch, sh, z, zh, etc.
noun
3.
Phonetics. a sibilant consonant.

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Sibilant is always a great word to know.
So is manner of articulation. Does it mean:
the degree of obstruction or the type of channel imposed upon the passage of air at a given place of articulation like stop, fricative, nasal, semivowel
occurring at the beginning of a word or syllable like the (k) sound of kite, chasm, or quay

Origin:
1660–70; < Latin sībilant- (stem of sībilāns), present participle of sībilāre to hiss), equivalent to sībil(us) a hissing, whistling (of imitative orig.) + -ant- -ant

sib·i·lance, sib·i·lan·cy, noun
sib·i·lant·ly, adverb
non·sib·i·lance, noun
non·sib·i·lan·cy, noun
non·sib·i·lant, adjective, noun
EXPAND
non·sib·i·lant·ly, adverb
sub·sib·i·lance, noun
sub·sib·i·lan·cy, noun
sub·sib·i·lant, adjective, noun
sub·sib·i·lant·ly, adverb
un·sib·i·lant, adjective
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To sibilant
Example Sentences
  • Ellis's pen name, chosen perhaps for its sibilant hiss, suited her style of elegant malice.
  • Morse from doing a sustained impersonation, right down to the last sibilant slur and growl.
Collins
World English Dictionary
sibilant (ˈsɪbɪlənt)
 
adj
1.  phonetics relating to or denoting the consonants (s, z, //, //), all pronounced with a characteristic hissing sound
2.  having a hissing sound: the sibilant sound of wind among the leaves
 
n
3.  a sibilant consonant
 
[C17: from Latin sībilāre to hiss, of imitative origin; compare Greek sizein to hiss]
 
'sibilance
 
n
 
'sibilancy
 
n
 
'sibilantly
 
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
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

sibilant
1669, from L. sibilantem (nom. sibilans), prp. of sibilare "to hiss, whistle," possibly of imitative origin (cf. Gk. sizein "to hiss," Lett. sikt "to hiss," O.C.S. svistati "to hiss, whistle"). The noun meaning "speech sound having a hissing effect" is from 1788.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

sibilant sib·i·lant (sĭb'ə-lənt)
adj.
Of, characterized by, or producing a hissing sound like that of (s) or (sh).

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

sibilant

in phonetics, a fricative consonant sound, in which the tip, or blade, of the tongue is brought near the roof of the mouth and air is pushed past the tongue to make a hissing sound. In English s, z, sh, and zh (the sound of the s in "pleasure") are sibilants. Sometimes the affricates ch and j are also considered as sibilants. See also fricative.

Learn more about sibilant with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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