sibilant

[ sib-uh-luhnt ]
See synonyms for: sibilantsibilance on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. Phonetics. characterized by a hissing sound; noting sounds like those spelled with s in this [this], /ðɪs/, rose [rohz], /roʊz/, pressure [presh-er], /ˈprɛʃ ər/, pleasure [plezh-er], /ˈplɛʒ ər/, and certain similar uses of ch, sh, z, zh, etc.

noun
  1. Phonetics. a sibilant consonant.

Origin of sibilant

1
First recorded before 1660–70; from Latin sībilant- (stem of sībilāns ), present participle of sībilāre “to hiss”), equivalent to sībil(us) “a hissing, whistling” (imitative of the sound) + -ant- adjective suffix; see -ant

Other words from sibilant

  • sib·i·lance [sib-uh-luhns] /ˈsɪb ə ləns/ sib·i·lan·cy [sib-uh-luhn-see] /ˈsɪb ə lən si/ noun
  • sib·i·lant·ly, adverb
  • non·sib·i·lant, adjective, noun
  • non·sib·i·lant·ly, adverb
  • sub·sib·i·lant, adjective, noun
  • sub·sib·i·lant·ly, adverb
  • un·sib·i·lant, adjective

Words Nearby sibilant

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How to use sibilant in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sibilant

sibilant

/ (ˈsɪbɪlənt) /


adjective
  1. phonetics relating to or denoting the consonants (s, z, / ʃ /, / ʒ /), all pronounced with a characteristic hissing sound

  2. having a hissing sound: the sibilant sound of wind among the leaves

noun
  1. a sibilant consonant

Origin of sibilant

1
C17: from Latin sībilāre to hiss, of imitative origin; compare Greek sizein to hiss

Derived forms of sibilant

  • sibilance or sibilancy, noun
  • sibilantly, adverb

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