sibilant

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: sib=i=lant

CIDE DICTIONARY

sibilant, a. [L. sibilans, -antis, p. pr. of sibilare to hiss: cf. F. sibilant.].

 Making a hissing sound; uttered with a hissing sound; hissing; as, s, z, sh, and zh, are sibilant elementary sounds.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sibilant, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 (of a letter or set of letters, as s, sh) sounded with a hiss.
2 hissing (a sibilant whisper).
--n. a sibilant letter or letters.

Derivative

sibilance n. sibilancy n.

Etymology

L sibilare sibilant- hiss

ROGET THESAURUS

sibilant

Sibilation

N sibilance, sibilation, zip, hiss, sternutation, high note, goose, serpent, snake (animal sounds), insect, bug, bee, mosquito, wasp, fly, tea kettle, pressure cooker, air valve, pressure release valve, safety valve, tires, air escaping from tires, punctured tire, escaping steam, steam, steam radiator, steam release valve, sibilant, hissing, wheezy, sternutative.