spi·rant (sp  r nt)n. See fricative. adj. Fricative. [Latin sp r ns, sprant-, present participle of sprre, to breathe.] |
spirant [ˈspaɪrənt]
adj
(Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) Phonetics another word for fricative
n
(Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) a fricative consonant
[from Latin spīrāns breathing, from spīrāre to breathe]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | spirant - a continuant consonant produced by breath moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract continuant, continuant consonant - consonant articulated by constricting (but not closing) the vocal tract sibilant, sibilant consonant - a consonant characterized by a hissing sound (like s or sh) |
| Adj. | 1. | spirant - of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then') soft - (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh') |
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