consonant

B1 Topic:Communication

US /ˈkɑn.sə.nənt/ UK /ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/ See IPA manual

Freq #51075

Meanings

1

noun
A speech sound made by blocking the airflow, such as b, t, or s; also a letter representing it.

The word "strength" begins with three consonants.
2

adj
In agreement or harmony with something.

His actions were consonant with his stated beliefs.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 adj · in agreement or harmony... compatible accordant agreeable harmonious

Opposites

disconsonantdiscordant dissonant

Word family

Forms consonants

Derived forms consonantaryconsonanthoodconsonanticconsonantismconsonantizeconsonantlessconsonantlyconsonantnesscontoidinconsonantnonconsonantsemiconsonant

Related forms consonanceconsonantalsemivowel vowel

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

voiceless consonant
a consonant produced without vibration of the vocal cords

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφωνον (súmphōnon).

consonant Middle English cōnsonāns Latin σύμφωνον Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Communication Language & Linguistics

External links

# consonant

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɑn.sə.nənt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɒn.sə.nənt/
**Frequency rank:** 51075

## Meanings
1. A speech sound made by blocking the airflow, such as b, t, or s; also a letter representing it.
2. In agreement or harmony with something.

## Examples
- The word "strength" begins with three consonants.
- His actions were consonant with his stated beliefs.

## Antonyms
- disconsonant
- discordant
- dissonant

## Derived Forms
- consonantary
- consonanthood
- consonantic
- consonantism
- consonantize
- consonantless
- consonantly
- consonantness
- contoid
- inconsonant
- nonconsonant
- semiconsonant

## Related Forms
- consonance
- consonantal
- semivowel
- vowel

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: consonant
- Root: cōnsonāns
- Root: σύμφωνον

## Etymology
From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφωνον (súmphōnon).

## AI Etymology
consonant is a noun and adjective. It is from Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφωνον (súmphōnon). Historical forms in the chain include consonant (Middle English), consonant (Old French), cōnsonāns (Latin), and σύμφωνον (Ancient Greek). Current senses include a speech sound made by blocking the airflow, such as b, t, or s; also a letter representing it and in agreement or harmony with something. Derived forms include consonantary, consonanthood, consonantic, consonantism, and consonantize. Related words include consonance, consonantal, semivowel, and vowel.

## Topics
- Communication
- Language & Linguistics

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