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

It is classed as a surd spirant, its corresponding sonant spirant being v, which is distinguished from f by being pronounced with voice instead of breath, as may be perceived by pronouncing ef, ev.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a mute and labial, pronounced solely by the lips, and is distinguished from p by being sonant, that is, produced by the utterance of voice as distinguished from breath.

From Project Gutenberg

I. E. sonant r and l become ri, li.

From Project Gutenberg