rhotacism
[ roh-tuh-siz-uhm ]
noun
Historical Linguistics. a change of a speech sound, especially (s), to (r), as in the change from Old Latin lases to Latin lares.
excessive use of the sound (r), its misarticulation, or the substitution of another sound for it.
Origin of rhotacism
1Other words from rhotacism
- rho·ta·cis·tic, adjective
Words Nearby rhotacism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for rhotacism
rhotacism
/ (ˈrəʊtəˌsɪzəm) /
nounphonetics
excessive use or idiosyncratic pronunciation of r
Origin of rhotacism
1C19: from New Latin rhōtacismus, from Greek rhōtakizein (verb) from the letter rho
Derived forms of rhotacism
- rhotacist, noun
- rhotacistic, adjective
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
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