sonant
Americanadjective
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phonetics denoting a voiced sound capable of forming a syllable or syllable nucleus
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inherently possessing, exhibiting, or producing a sound
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sonant
1840–50; < Latin sonānt- (stem of sonāns ), present participle of sonāre to sound 1. See son-, -ant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dr. Gutheil cautions that no accurate explanation is apt to be simple: more likely in Hinckley's mind was a dis sonant snarl of emotions and delusions, which in concert led him to Washington.
From Time Magazine Archive
We have already seen that there are two classes of consonant sounds, those which have a voice sound, as b, called sonant, and those which are mere breath sounds, like p, called surds or aspirates.
From The Art Of Writing & Speaking The English Language Word-Study and Composition & Rhetoric by Sherwin Cody
It is classed as a surd spirant, its corresponding sonant spirant being v, which is distinguished from f by being pronounced with voice instead of breath, as may be perceived by pronouncing ef, ev.
From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 3: Estremoz to Felspar by Various
Surdimū′tism, the condition of being deaf and dumb; Surd′ity, want of sonant quality.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
We may say that the sonant consonant and its corresponding surd are the hard and soft forms of the same sound.
From The Art Of Writing & Speaking The English Language Word-Study and Composition & Rhetoric by Sherwin Cody
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
