plunkety-plunk

C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception
US /ˌplʌŋkətiˈplʌŋk/ UK /ˌplʌŋkətiˈplʌŋk/
noun adj

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    onomatopoeic: a repeated dull plunking or clopping sound, such as hoofbeats or notes on a stringed instrument

    A distant plunkety-plunk announced that horses were coming along the road.

  2. 2
    adj

    onomatopoeic: producing or characterized by a repeated plunking sound

    The tune had a simple plunkety-plunk rhythm.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · onomatopoeic: a repeated... clopplunkingtwang
2 adj · onomatopoeic: producing or... plunkingtwanging
Word family
Derived forms plunkety-plunks
Related forms plunkplonk

Etymology

An expressive formation from plunk + -ety, followed by reduplication. The repeated sounds imitate a sequence of dull impacts or twanging notes; Mark Twain uses it for approaching horses' hoofbeats.

Topics

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