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sibilant

[ sib-uh-luhnt ]
/ ˈsɪb ə lənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR sibilant

adjective

hissing.
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

Phonetics. a sibilant consonant.

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Origin of sibilant

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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Words related to sibilant

click, consonant, liquid, phone, sonant, affricate, diphthong, fricative, implosive, plosive, spirant, syllable, vocable

Example sentences from the Web for sibilant

British Dictionary definitions for sibilant

sibilant
/ (ˈsɪbɪlənt) /

adjective

phonetics relating to or denoting the consonants (s, z, / ʃ /, / ʒ /), all pronounced with a characteristic hissing sound
having a hissing soundthe sibilant sound of wind among the leaves

noun

a sibilant consonant

Derived forms of sibilant

sibilance or sibilancy, nounsibilantly, adverb

Word Origin for sibilant

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

Medical definitions for sibilant

sibilant
[ 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.