Consonant: meaning, definitions and examples
๐ถ
consonant
[ หkษns(ษ)nษnt ]
linguistic term
A speech sound that is not a vowel. Consonants are produced by restricting the airflow in some way, typically by placing one or more obstacles in the path of the airstream.
Synonyms
consonantal sound.
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
| Word | Description / Examples |
|---|---|
| consonant |
This term is used in general linguistics to refer to any speech sound that is not a vowel. It can also be used metaphorically to mean 'in agreement' or 'harmonious.'
|
Examples of usage
- English has 21 consonant sounds.
- Consonants can be voiced or voiceless.
- She struggled with the pronunciation of certain consonants.
musical term
A harmonious sound produced by two or more musical notes played or sung together.
Synonyms
Which Synonym Should You Choose?
| Word | Description / Examples |
|---|---|
| consonant |
This word is often used in a literary or formal context to describe something that is in agreement or harmony. It's also a term in phonetics referring to a speech sound.
|
| agreement |
Commonly employed in everyday conversation, business, law, and diplomacy to denote consensus or a formal arrangement between parties.
|
Examples of usage
- The choir sang in beautiful consonance.
- The piano piece ended with a lovely consonant chord.
Translations
Translations of the word "consonant" in other languages:
๐ต๐น consoante
๐ฎ๐ณ เคตเฅเคฏเคเคเคจ
๐ฉ๐ช Konsonant
๐ฎ๐ฉ konsonan
๐บ๐ฆ ะฟัะธะณะพะปะพัะฝะธะน
๐ต๐ฑ spรณลgลoska
๐ฏ๐ต ๅญ้ณ
๐ซ๐ท consonne
๐ช๐ธ consonante
๐น๐ท รผnsรผz
๐ฐ๐ท ์์
๐ธ๐ฆ ุญุฑู ุณุงูู
๐จ๐ฟ souhlรกska
๐ธ๐ฐ spoluhlรกska
๐จ๐ณ ่พ ้ณ
๐ธ๐ฎ soglasnik
๐ฎ๐ธ samhljรณรฐi
๐ฐ๐ฟ ะดะฐัััััะท
๐ฌ๐ช แแแแฎแแแแแแ
๐ฆ๐ฟ samit
๐ฒ๐ฝ consonante
Etymology
The word 'consonant' originated from the Latin 'consonans', which means 'sounding with'. In the linguistic sense, it has been used since the 14th century to describe speech sounds that are not vowels. In the musical context, it refers to harmonious sounds created by combining multiple notes.