consonant

UK: ˈkɒnsənənt | US: ˈkɑːnsənənt

Definition

  1. n. a speech sound produced by obstructing airflow in the vocal tract (e.g., /b/, /k/, /s/)

  2. n. a letter representing such a sound (e.g., B, C, D)

  3. adj. harmonious or agreeing in sound

Structure
con <together>son <sound>ant <adjective suffix>
Etymology

Derived from Latin consonant- (stem of consonans), meaning "sounding together." The morpheme con- (from Latin cum) implies unity, while son (from Latin sonus) refers to sound. The suffix -ant marks it as an adjective. Originally used in music to describe harmonious tones, the term later narrowed to linguistics, denoting sounds produced with vocal tract obstruction.

Examples

  1. The word "stop" begins with a consonant cluster (/st/).

  2. English has 21 consonant letters in its alphabet.

  3. The piano and violin played consonant harmonies.

  4. Some languages, like Hawaiian, have fewer consonant sounds.

  5. Her argument was consonant with the scientific evidence.