sonorant
[ suh-nawr-uh nt, -nohr-, soh- ]
/ səˈnɔr ənt, -ˈnoʊr-, soʊ- /
noun
a voiced sound that is less sonorous than a vowel but more sonorous than a stop or fricative and that may occur as either a sonant or a consonant, as (l, r, m, n, y, w).
a speech sound characterized by relatively free air passage through some channel, as a vowel, semivowel, liquid, or nasal.Compare obstruent.
adjective
of, relating to, or having the properties of a sonorant.
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OTHER WORDS FROM sonorant
non·so·no·rant, adjective, nounWords nearby sonorant
sonography, sonoluminescence, sonoma, sonometer, sonora, sonorant, sonority, sonorous, sonorous rale, sons and lovers, sons of freedom
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for sonorant
sonorant
/ (ˈsɒnərənt) /
noun phonetics
one of the frictionless continuants or nasals (l, r, m, n, ŋ) having consonantal or vocalic functions depending on its situation within the syllable
either of the two consonants represented in English orthography by w or y and regarded as either consonantal or vocalic articulations of the vowels iː and uː
Word Origin for sonorant
from Latin sonor a noise + -ant
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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