sibilant

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   having or producing a hissing or hushing sound

   A low, sibilant breath came from the animal behind the hedge.

2. 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.

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.

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