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sibilate

[sib-uh-leyt]
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verb (used without object), sib·i·lat·ed, sib·i·lat·ing.
  1. to hiss.
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verb (used with object), sib·i·lat·ed, sib·i·lat·ing.
  1. to utter or pronounce with a hissing sound.
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Origin of sibilate

1650–60; < Latin sībilātus (past participle of sībilāre to hiss); see sibilant, -ate1
Related formssib·i·la·tion, nounsib·i·la·tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sibilate

whisper, disapprove, hoot, whiz, deride, condemn, blow, decry, damn, rasp, shrill, mock, fizz, sizzle, spit, whistle, revile, wheeze, catcall, swish
British Dictionary definitions for sibilate

sibilate

verb
  1. to pronounce or utter (words or speech) with a hissing sound
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Derived Formssibilation, noun
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

Word Origin and History for sibilate

v.

1650s, from Latin sibilatus, past participle of sibilare "to hiss, whistle" (see sibilant (adj.)). Related: Sibilated; sibilating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper