onomatopoeia

[ on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‑-mah-tuh‑ ]

noun

1. the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
2. a word so formed.
3. the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect.

onomatopoeia

/ ˌɒnəˌmætəpəʊˈɛtɪk; ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə /

noun

1. the formation of words whose sound is imitative of the sound of the noise or action designated, such as hiss, buzz, and bang
2. the use of such words for poetic or rhetorical effect

Derived Forms

• ˌonoˌmatoˈpoeically, adverb
• ˌonoˌmatoˈpoeic, adjective

Other Words From

• ono·mato·poeic on·o·mat·o·po·et·ic [on-, uh, -mat-, uh, -poh-, et, -ik], adjective
• ono·mato·poei·cal·ly ono·mato·po·eti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of onomatopoeia¹

First recorded in 1570–80; from Late Latin, from Greek onomatopoiía “making of words,” from onomato- (stem of ónoma “name”) + poi- (stem of poieîn “to make”) + -ia -ia; -onym, poet

Word History and Origins

Origin of onomatopoeia¹

C16: via Late Latin from Greek onoma name + poiein to make

Example Sentences

The song's all about teetering off the precipice of desire, and the title's an onomatopoeia for your heartbeat.

From BBC

During each exposure to these ''onomatopoeia'', brain activity was measured.

From Science Daily

Because there is no onomatopoeia that could distill the noises this animal makes.

From Seattle Times

Rob: When we were going to Japan to visit Ruby’s family, her aunties, we were there for a while, and Ruby had lived there for about a year, and she’s so passionate about the language, and she was teaching me some of her favorite words, and some of those are onomatopoeia words.

From Seattle Times

One type is onomatopoeia; for example, words that describe a cat’s meow or a rooster’s crow are similar across many languages.

From New York Times

Related Words

• imitation
• parallel
• reflection
• repetition
• reverberation