sonant

[ soh-nuhnt ]

adjective

1. sounding; sound; sounding; having sound.
2. Phonetics. voiced ( surd ).

noun

, Phonetics.

1. a speech sound that by itself makes a syllable or subordinates to itself the other sounds sound in the syllable; a syllabic sound ( consonant ).
2. a voiced sound ( surd ).
3. (in Indo-European) a sonorant.

sonant

/ səʊˈnæntəl; ˈsəʊnənt /

adjective

1. phonetics denoting a voiced sound capable of forming a syllable or syllable nucleus
2. inherently possessing, exhibiting, or producing a sound

noun

1. phonetics a voiced sound belonging to the class of frictionless continuants or nasals (l, r, m, n, ŋ ) considered from the point of view of being a vowel and, in this capacity, able to form a syllable or syllable nucleus

Derived Forms

• sonantal, adjective
• ˈsonance, noun

Other Words From

• so·nan·tal [soh-, nan, -tl], so·nan·tic [soh-, nan, -tik], adjective
• inter·sonant adjective
• non·sonant adjective noun
• un·sonant adjective
• unso·nantal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonant¹

1840–50; < Latin sonānt- (stem of sonāns ), present participle of sonāre to sound ¹. See son-, -ant

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonant¹

C19: from Latin sonāns sounding, from sonāre to make a noise, resound

Example Sentences

His rich, dulcet tones made him a star of Princeton’s sonant circuit.

From New York Times

But no physiological or psychological explanation of consonance is given by this fact, for the simple reason that in the acoustic nerve-process nothing corresponding to the periodicity of the sonant stimulus is discoverable.

From Project Gutenberg

Surdimū′tism, the condition of being deaf and dumb; Surd′ity, want of sonant quality.

From Project Gutenberg

Sonant, sō′nant, adj. sounding: pertaining to sound: uttered with sound, instead of breath alone, as certain alphabetic sounds.—ns.

From Project Gutenberg

On one side is a crown in faint relief, under that a bell in large proportion, and on it impressed in italics:— Campane Sonant canore.

From Project Gutenberg