sonant

American  

[soh-nuhnt] / ˈsoʊ nənt /

adjective

1. sounding; sound; sounding; having sound.

2. Phonetics. voiced (surd ).

---

noun

Phonetics.

1. a speech sound that by itself makes a syllable or subordinates to itself the other sounds sound in the syllable; a syllabic sound (consonant ).

2. a voiced sound (surd ).

3. (in Indo-European) a sonorant.

sonant British  

/ səʊˈnæntəl, ˈsəʊnənt /

adjective

1. phonetics denoting a voiced sound capable of forming a syllable or syllable nucleus

2. inherently possessing, exhibiting, or producing a sound

---

noun

1. phonetics a voiced sound belonging to the class of frictionless continuants or nasals (l, r, m, n, ŋ ) considered from the point of view of being a vowel and, in this capacity, able to form a syllable or syllable nucleus

Other Word Forms

• intersonant adjective
• nonsonant adjective
• sonance noun
• sonantal adjective
• sonantic adjective
• unsonant adjective
• unsonantal adjective

Etymology

Origin of sonant

1840–50; < Latin sonānt- (stem of sonāns ), present participle of sonāre to sound ¹. See son-, -ant

Example Sentences

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

Ebhardt's suggestion that there are two significant parts in each foot-element, viz., sonant and pause, does not seem good.

From Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1 Containing Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory. by Münsterberg, Hugo

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 Cody, Sherwin

Ecce in littera t aliqui ita pingue nescio quid sonant, ut cum dicunt etiam nihil de media syllaba infringant.

From The Roman Pronunciation of Latin Why we use it and how to use it by Lord, Frances Ellen

It will of course use the widest variation possible in the matter of accents, lags, dynamic forms, and lengths of sonant and element depending on emphasis.

From Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1 Containing Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory. by Münsterberg, Hugo