sibilant
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L327746 on Wikidata ↗adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L340422 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsɪb.ɪ.lənt/ / /ˈsəb.ə.lənt/
adj
Etymology: From Latin sībilāns, present active participle of sībilō (“to hiss”).
- Characterized by a hissing or hushing sound such as the s or sh in sack or shack.
“She had a curious habit of prefacing everything she said with a soft sibilant sound. "S-s-s Grace," she said, "it's just like I was telling Brother Hutson the other day. 'S-s-s Brother Hutson,' I said, 'looks like we're fighting a losing battle, a losing battle.' I said."”
noun
Etymology: From Latin sībilāns, present active participle of sībilō (“to hiss”).
- A consonant having a hissing or hushing sound such as the s or sh in sack or shack.
“Groove fricatives all have more or less of an [s]-like quality, and are for this reason sometimes called sibilants.”