sibilant C2 Topic:Communication US /ˈsɪbɪlənt/ UK /ˈsɪbɪlənt/ See IPA manual Freq #159045 Meanings 1 adj having or producing a hissing or hushing sound A low, sibilant breath came from the animal behind the hedge. 2 noun a speech sound made with audible friction and a hissing quality, such as s, z, sh, or zh The final sibilant in "houses" is pronounced like the sound z. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · having or producing a... hissingsibilant-sounding 2 noun · a speech sound made with... sibilant consonant Word family Derived forms sibilancesibilantly Related forms fricativeconsonantsibilation Etymology From Latin sibilans, the present participle of sibilare ("to hiss or whistle"). English first used the term in descriptions of speech sounds and later extended it to any hissing quality. Topics Communication External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # sibilant **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** adj, noun **IPA (US):** /ˈsɪbɪlənt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈsɪbɪlənt/ **Frequency rank:** 159045 ## Meanings 1. having or producing a hissing or hushing sound 2. a speech sound made with audible friction and a hissing quality, such as s, z, sh, or zh ## Examples - A low, sibilant breath came from the animal behind the hedge. - The final sibilant in "houses" is pronounced like the sound z. ## Synonyms - hissing - sibilant consonant ## Derived Forms - sibilance - sibilantly ## Related Forms - fricative - consonant - sibilation ## Etymology From Latin sibilans, the present participle of sibilare ("to hiss or whistle"). English first used the term in descriptions of speech sounds and later extended it to any hissing quality. ## Topics - Communication markdown