Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Spirant
Spi′rant
,Noun.
(Phon.)
A term used differently by different authorities; – by some as equivalent to fricative, – that is, as including all the continuous consonants, except the nasals m, n, ng; with the further exception, by others, of the liquids r, l, and the semivowels w, y; by others limited to f, v, th surd and sonant, and the sound of German ch, – thus excluding the sibilants, as well as the nasals, liquids, and semivowels. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 197-208.
Definition 2024
spirant
spirant
English
Noun
spirant (plural spirants)
- (linguistics, dated) A fricative.
- 1888, Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer:
- Spirant consonants are those in which the mouth passage is simply narrowed without any actual contact.
- 1954, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix E:
- The raising of the stem indicated the opening of the consonant to a ‘spirant’ […]
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