voiceless

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   unable to speak or produce a normal vocal sound

   The throat injury left her temporarily voiceless.

2. 2
   adj

   not spoken or expressed in words; silent

   He stood beside the grave in voiceless grief.

3. 3
   adj

   lacking representation, influence, or the power to make one's views heard

   The inquiry sought testimony from residents who had long felt voiceless.

4. 4
   adj

   in phonetics, produced without vibration of the vocal folds

   In English, /s/ is a voiceless consonant, while /z/ is voiced.

Formed from voice + -less. Voice entered Middle English through Old French vois from Latin vox, vocis, 'voice, utterance.' The literal absence of vocal sound broadened to unexpressed feeling and lack of social or political influence; phonetics uses the word precisely for sounds made without vocal-fold vibration.

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