Try Our Apps
Dictionary.com

follow Dictionary.com

Famous Last Words

phonate

[foh-neyt] /ˈfoʊ neɪt/
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with or without object), phonated, phonating.
1.
Phonetics. to provide (a sound source, and hence the pitch) for a given voiced continuant or vowel, through rapid, periodic glottal action.
2.
to vocalize.
Origin of phonate
1875-1880
First recorded in 1875-80; phon- + -ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2017.
Cite This Source
British Dictionary definitions for phonate

phonate

/fəʊˈneɪt/
verb
1.
(intransitive) to articulate speech sounds, esp to cause the vocal cords to vibrate in the execution of a voiced speech sound
Derived Forms
phonation, noun
phonatory (ˈfəʊnətərɪ; -trɪ) adjective
Word Origin
C19: from Greek phōnē voice
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source
phonate in Medicine

phonate pho·nate (fō'nāt')
v. pho·nat·ed, pho·nat·ing, pho·nates
To utter speech sounds; vocalize.

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

Word of the Day

Difficulty index for phonate

Few English speakers likely know this word

Word Value for phonate

12
13
Scrabble Words With Friends

Nearby words for phonate

Heartbreak