sibilant

[ sib-uh-luh nt ]
/ ˈsɪb ə lənt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR sibilant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

hissing.
Phonetics. characterized by a hissing sound; noting sounds like those spelled with s in this [th is] /ðɪs/, rose [rohz] /roʊz/, pressure [presh-er] /ˈprɛʃ ər/, pleasure [plezh-er] /ˈplɛʒ ər/, and certain similar uses of ch, sh, z, zh, etc.

noun

Phonetics. a sibilant consonant.

Origin of sibilant

1660–70; < Latin sībilant- (stem of sībilāns), present participle of sībilāre to hiss), equivalent to sībil(us) a hissing, whistling (of imitative orig.) + -ant- -ant

OTHER WORDS FROM sibilant

Words nearby sibilant

siberian larkspur, siberian ruby, siberian squill, siberian wallflower, siberite, sibilant, sibilant rale, sibilate, sibirʾ, sibiu, sibling

Content related to sibilance

Funner, Gender, And Other Trending Words On Dictionary.com From NASCAR tracks to Washington, D.C., here are the words that were blowing up the Dictionary.com trending charts October 19–26, 2018.
READ MORE

Words related to sibilance

catcall, hoot, derision, buzz, contempt, boo

Example sentences from the Web for sibilance

British Dictionary definitions for sibilance

sibilant
/ (ˈsɪbɪlənt) /

adjective

phonetics relating to or denoting the consonants (s, z, / ʃ /, / ʒ /), all pronounced with a characteristic hissing sound
having a hissing sound the sibilant sound of wind among the leaves

noun

a sibilant consonant

Derived forms of sibilant

sibilance or sibilancy, noun sibilantly, adverb

Word Origin for sibilant

C17: from Latin sībilāre to hiss, of imitative origin; compare Greek sizein to hiss

Medical definitions for sibilance

sibilant
[ sĭb′ə-lənt ]

adj.

Of, characterized by, or producing a hissing sound like that of (s) or (sh).