fricative

noun

a continuant consonant produced by breath moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract

adjective

of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then')

Roots

fricarefric- · Latin · to rub ativus-ative · Latin · tending to

Synonyms & related words for fricative

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Words related to fricative

Explore words related to fricative — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include spirant, nonfricative, sibilant, continuant, affricate, affricative, obstruent, khaf. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Where does fricative come from?

The word fricative breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: fric, from Latin fricare (“to rub”); and -ative, from Latin ativus (“tending to”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.