spirant

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

spirarespir- · Latin · to breathe ans-ant · Latin · agent, one that

Synonyms & related words for spirant

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Words related to spirant

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

Where does spirant come from?

The word spirant breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: spir, from Latin spirare (“to breathe”); and -ant, from Latin ans (“agent, one that”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.