spirant

American  

[spahy-ruhnt] / ˈspaɪ rənt /

noun

1. fricative.

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adjective

1. Also spirantal fricative.

spirant British  

/ ˈspaɪrənt /

adjective

1. phonetics another word for fricative

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noun

1. a fricative consonant

Etymology

Origin of spirant

1865–70; < Latin spīrant- (stem of spīrāns, present participle of spīrāre to breathe); see spirit, -ant

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spirant

Later, as Latin did not use for the consonant written as v in vis, &c. , was dropped and received a new special value in Latin as representative of the unvoiced labio-dental spirant.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various

Waith, O. N. væiðr, has kept the spirant, but faid, a "company of hunters," has changed it to d.

From Scandinavian influence on Southern Lowland Scotch by George Tobias Flom

G is the soft spirant, not used in English.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8 "Dubner" to "Dyeing" by Various

When the lips are not tightly closed the sound produced is not a stop, but a spirant like the English w.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1 "Austria, Lower" to "Bacon" by Various

That the spirant J was in all cases pronounced as Y there is scarcely room for doubt.

From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Charles Thomas Cruttwell

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