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 iː and uː

Other Words From

• nonso·norant adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonorant¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonorant¹

from Latin sonor a noise + -ant

Related Words

• booming
• earsplitting
• echoing
• loud
• resounding
• roaring
• sonorous
• strident
• throbbing
• thundering
• thunderous