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View synonyms for sonorant

sonorant

[ suh-nawr-uhnt, -nohr-, soh- ]

noun

  1. a voiced sound that is less sonorous than a vowel but more sonorous than a stop or fricative and that may occur as either a sonant or a consonant, as (l, r, m, n, y, w).
  2. a speech sound characterized by relatively free air passage through some channel, as a vowel, semivowel, liquid, or nasal. Compare obstruent.


adjective

  1. of, relating to, or having the properties of a sonorant.

sonorant

/ ˈsɒnərənt /

noun

  1. one of the frictionless continuants or nasals (l, r, m, n, ŋ ) having consonantal or vocalic functions depending on its situation within the syllable
  2. either of the two consonants represented in English orthography by w or y and regarded as either consonantal or vocalic articulations of the vowels and
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Other Words From

  • nonso·norant adjective noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sonorant1

< Latin sonōr- (stem of sonor ) sound, noise + -ant; sonorous
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Word History and Origins

Origin of sonorant1

from Latin sonor a noise + -ant

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Sonorasonority