Word Study
spiral-shelled |
spiraling |
spirality |
spirally |
spiralozooid |
spirant
| spiranthes
| spiranthes cernua
| spiranthes porrifolia
| spiranthes romanzoffiana
| spiranthes spiralis
spirant
WORDNET DICTIONARY
Noun spirant has 1 sense
- spirant(n = noun.communication) fricative, fricative consonant - a continuant consonant produced by breath moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract; Array is a kind of continuant, continuant consonant
has particulars: sibilant, sibilant consonant
Adjective spirant has 1 sense
- spirant(s = adj.all) continuant, fricative, sibilant, strident - of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then'); Array
CIDE DICTIONARY
spirant, n. [L. spirans, -antis, p. pr. of spirare to breathe. See Spirit.].
A term used differently by different authorities; -- by some as equivalent to fricative, -- that is, as including all the continuous consonants, except the nasals m, n, ng; with the further exception, by others, of the liquids r, l, and the semivowels w, y; by others limited to f, v, th surd and sonant, and the sound of German ch, -- thus excluding the sibilants, as well as the nasals, liquids, and semivowels. See Guide to Pronunciation, 1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
spirant, adj. & n. Phonet.
--adj. (of a consonant) uttered with a continuous expulsion of breath, esp. fricative.
--n. such a consonant.
--adj. (of a consonant) uttered with a continuous expulsion of breath, esp. fricative.
--n. such a consonant.
Etymology
L spirare spirant- breathe
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