ob·stru·ent ( b str - nt)adj. Obstructing or closing natural openings or passages of the body. n. 1. An obstruent medicine or agent. 2. Linguistics A sound, such as a stop, fricative, or affricate, that is produced with complete blockage or at least partial constriction of the airflow through the nose or mouth. [Latin obstru  ns, obstruent-, present participle of obstruere, to obstruct; see obstruct.] |
obstruent [ˈɒbstrʊənt] Med
adj
(Medicine) causing obstruction, esp of the intestinal tract
n
(Medicine) anything that causes obstruction
[from Latin obstruere to obstruct]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | obstruent - a consonant that is produced with a partial or complete blockage of the airflow from the lungs through the nose or mouth consonant - a speech sound that is not a vowel occlusive, plosive, plosive consonant, plosive speech sound, stop consonant, stop - a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it; "his stop consonants are too aspirated" continuant, continuant consonant - consonant articulated by constricting (but not closing) the vocal tract affricate, affricate consonant, affricative - a composite speech sound consisting of a stop and a fricative articulated at the same point (as `ch' in `chair' and `j' in `joy') |
Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|