Sibilant

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈsɪb.ɪ.lÉ™nt/

Origin

From Latin sībilāns, present active participle of sībilō ("I hiss").

Full definition of sibilant

Adjective

1. Characterized by a hissing sound such as the "s" or "sh" in sash or surge.
• 1960: Harper Lee, To Kill A MockingbirdShe had a curious habit of prefacing everything she said with a soft sibilant sound.
  "S-s-s Grace," she said, "it's just like I was telling Brother Hutson the other day. 'S-s-s Brother Hutson,' I said, 'looks like we're fighting a losing battle, a losing battle.' I said."

Derived terms

• sibilantly

Noun

1. (phonetics) A hissing sound such as the 's' or 'sh' in 'sash' or 'surge'.
• 1955: H. A. Gleason, An Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics, page 194, section 14.7Groove fricatives all have more or less of an s-like quality, and are for this reason sometimes called sibilants.

Derived terms

• shibilant

Synonyms

• (phonetics) groove fricative

Related terms

• sibilance
• sibilancy
• sibilate
• sibilation