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View synonyms for dissimilation

dissimilation

[ dih-sim-uh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

  1. the act of making or becoming unlike.
  2. Phonetics. the process by which a speech sound becomes different from or less like a neighboring sound, as pilgrim [pil, -grim] from Latin peregrīnus [pe, r, -e-, gree, -n, oo, s], and purple [pur, -p, uh, l] from Old English purpure [poor, -p, oo, -, r, e], or disappears entirely because of a like sound in another syllable, as in the pronunciation [guhv, -, uh, -ner] for governor. Compare assimilation ( def 7 ).
  3. Biology. catabolism.


dissimilation

/ ˌdɪsɪmɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

  1. the act or an instance of making dissimilar
  2. phonetics the alteration or omission of a consonant as a result of being dissimilated
  3. biology a less common word for catabolism
“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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Word History and Origins

Origin of dissimilation1

First recorded in 1820–30; dis- 1 + (as)similation
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Example Sentences

The sounds most frequently affected by dissimilation are those represented by the letters l, n, and r. Fr.

We have seen (p. 57) that the letters l, n, r are particularly subject to dissimilation and metathesis.

In the family name Hansom, for Hanson, we have dissimilation of n (see p. 57).

Let us first of all glance at some of the most important phenomena in connection with assimilation and dissimilation.

To cause the opposite process of dissimilation, we draw one large sector among several smaller sectors.

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Related Words

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dissimilatedissimilitude