SPIRANT Meaning and
Definition
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A "spirant" refers to a type of consonant sound in phonetics that is produced by a continuous flow of air through a relatively narrow channel in the vocal tract. The term "spirant" is derived from the Latin word "spirare," meaning to breathe or to blow.
Spirants are known for their distinct audible friction or hissing sound, which is caused by the turbulent airflow. Unlike stops, where the airflow is completely blocked and then released abruptly, spirants allow a partial flow of air to pass continuously. This type of sound production occurs when the speech organs, such as the tongue or lips, are constricted enough to create a constriction without completely obstructing the airflow.
In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), spirants are represented by specific phonetic symbols. Usually, spirants are classified based on their place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing. Common examples of spirant consonants include the "s" sound, like in "sea," the "f" sound, like in "four," and the "v" sound, like in "very."
Spirants can be found in various languages across the world, and different languages may have different sets of spirant consonants. They play a significant role in distinguishing one word from another and contribute to the overall melodic and rhythmic properties of speech.
Common Misspellings for SPIRANT
- zpirant
- xpirant
- dpirant
- epirant
- wpirant
- soirant
- slirant
- s-irant
- s0irant
- spurant
- spjrant
- spkrant
- sporant
- sp9rant
- sp8rant
- spieant
- spidant
- spifant
- spitant
Etymology of SPIRANT
The word "spirant" comes from the Latin word "spīrāns", which is the present participle form of the verb "spīrāre", meaning "to breathe" or "to blow". In English, it was first attested in the mid-16th century and initially referred to a speech sound that is produced with a continuous airflow, characterized by a fricative or approximant consonant. From Latin, it was borrowed into French as "spirant" and then returned to English. The term is still used in phonetics to describe a particular class of consonant sounds.
Similar spelling words for SPIRANT
- Sprung,
- spiranthes,
- sporran,
- sprint,
- sprinter,
- spermatid,
- spurner,
- spurn,
- spurned,
- sparmannia,
- sprunger,
- sparingly,
- sprankle,
- spermatic,
- sphyraena,
- sporanox,
- springer,
- sprenger,
- sparing,
- sprain,
- spreen,
- spermaceti,
- sperm,
- spareness,
- sparano.
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