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sonant

 - 3 dictionary results

so⋅nant

[soh-nuhnt]
–adjective
1. sounding; having sound.
2. Phonetics. voiced (opposed to surd ).
–noun Phonetics.
3. a speech sound that by itself makes a syllable or subordinates to itself the other sounds in the syllable; a syllabic sound (opposed to consonant ).
4. a voiced sound (opposed to surd ).
5. (in Indo-European) a sonorant.

Origin:
1840–50; < L sonānt- (s. of sonāns), prp. of sonāre to sound 1 . See son-, -ant


so⋅nan⋅tal [soh-nan-tl] , so⋅nan⋅tic [soh-nan-tik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To sonant
so·nant   (sō'nənt)   
adj.  Voiced, as a speech sound.
n.  
  1. A voiced speech sound.

  2. A syllabic consonant in Indo-European.


[Latin sonāns, sonant-, present participle of sonāre, to sound; see swen- in Indo-European roots.]
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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Word Origin & History

sonant 
1846, from L. sonantem (nom. sonans), prp. of sonare "make a noise," related to sonus "sound" (see sound (n.1)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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