svarabhakti

[ sfahr-ah-bahk-tee; Sanskrit svuh-ruh-buhk-ti ]

nounLinguistics.
  1. the process of inserting vowel sounds into a consonant cluster, as in a loanword to make it conform to the pattern of the speaker's language and, hence, more easily pronounceable, as in the Italian pronunciation [lahn-tsee-ke-nek-kaw] /ˌlɑn tsi kɛˈnɛk kɔ/ for German Landsknecht [lahnts-knekht]. /ˈlɑntsˌknɛxt/.

Origin of svarabhakti

1
1875–80; <Sanskrit: vowel segment (inserted in particular environments)

Words Nearby svarabhakti

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023