phonetic
[ fuh-net-ik, foh- ]
/ fəˈnɛt ɪk, foʊ- /
adjective
Also pho·net·i·cal.
of or relating to speech sounds, their production, or their transcription in written symbols.
corresponding to pronunciation: phonetic transcription.
agreeing with pronunciation: phonetic spelling.
concerning or involving the discrimination of nondistinctive elements of a language. In English, certain phonological features, as length and aspiration, are phonetic but not phonemic.
noun
(in Chinese writing) a written element that represents a sound and is used in combination with a radical to form a character.
Origin of phonetic
1820–30; < New Latin
phōnēticus < Greek
phōnētikós vocal, equivalent to
phōnēt(ós) to be spoken (verbid of
phōneîn to speak) +
-ikos
-ic
OTHER WORDS FROM phonetic
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH phonetic
fanatic phoneticWords nearby phonetic
phonemics,
phonendoscope,
phoner,
phonesthemic,
phonet.,
phonetic,
phonetic alphabet,
phonetic law,
phonetician,
phoneticize,
phonetics
Example sentences from the Web for phonetic
British Dictionary definitions for phonetic
phonetic
/ (fəˈnɛtɪk) /
adjective
of or relating to phonetics
denoting any perceptible distinction between one speech sound and another, irrespective of whether the sounds are phonemes or allophones
Compare phonemic (def. 2)
conforming to pronunciation
phonetic spelling
Derived forms of phonetic
phonetically, adverbWord Origin for phonetic
C19: from New Latin
phōnēticus, from Greek
phōnētikos, from
phōnein to make sounds, speak
Medical definitions for phonetic
phonetic
[ fə-nĕt′ĭk ]
adj.
Of or relating to phonetics.
Representing the sounds of speech with a set of distinct symbols, each designating a single sound.