fricative

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: fric=a=tive

CIDE DICTIONARY

fricative, a. [See Frication.].

 Produced by the friction or rustling of the breath, intonated or unintonated, through a narrow opening between two of the mouth organs; uttered through a close approach, but not with a complete closure, of the organs of articulation, and hence capable of being continued or prolonged; -- said of certain consonantal sounds, as f, v, s, z, etc.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

fricative, adj. & n. Phonet.
--adj. made by the friction of breath in a narrow opening.
--n. a consonant made in this way, e.g. f and th.

Etymology

mod.L fricativus f. L fricare rub