Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia On`o*mat`o*p[oe]"ia, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; 'o`noma, 'ono`matos, a name + poiei^n to make.] (Philol.) The formation of words in imitation of sounds; a figure of speech in which the sound of a word is imitative of the sound of the thing which the word represents; as, the buzz of bees; the hiss of a goose; the crackle of fire. [1913 Webster]

Note: It has been maintained by some philologist that all primary words, especially names, were formed by imitation of natural sounds, but this is not believed by most. [1913 Webster +PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • onomatopoeia — 1570s, from L.L. onomatopoeia, from Gk. onomatopoiia the making of a name or word (in imitation of a sound associated with the thing being named), from onomatopoios, from onoma (gen. onomatos) word, name (see NAME (Cf. name) (n.)) + a derivative… …   Etymology dictionary

  • onomatopoeia — ► NOUN 1) the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle). 2) the use of such words for rhetorical effect. DERIVATIVES onomatopoeic adjective onomatopoeically adverb. ORIGIN Greek onomatopoiia word making …   English terms dictionary

  • onomatopoeia — [än΄ō mat΄ō pē′ə, än΄ōmät΄ō pē′ə] n. [LL < Gr onomatopoiia < onoma (gen. onomatos), NAME + poiein, to make: see POET2] 1. formation of a word by imitating the natural sound associated with the object or action involved; echoism (Ex.: tinkle …   English World dictionary

  • Onomatopoeia — For comic book villain, see Onomatopoeia (comics). For the Flobots album, see Onomatopoeia (album). A sign in a shop window in Italy pr …   Wikipedia

  • onomatopoeia — [[t]ɒ̱nəmætəpi͟ːə[/t]] N UNCOUNT Onomatopoeia refers to the use of words which sound like the noise they refer to. Hiss , buzz , and rat a tat tat are examples of onomatopoeia. [TECHNICAL] …   English dictionary

  • onomatopoeia — onomatopoeic, onomatopoetic /on euh mat euh poh et ik/, adj. onomatopoeically, onomatopoetically, adv. /on euh mat euh pee euh, mah teuh /, n. 1. the formation of a word, as cuckoo or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its… …   Universalium

  • onomatopoeia — noun /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiə,ˌɑːnəˌmætəˈpiə,ˌɑːnəˌmɑːtəˈpiə/ a) The property of a word of sounding like what it represents. b) A word which has the property of onomatopoeia, such as gurgle or hiss . Syn: imitative harmony See Also: onomatope, onomatopoeic …   Wiktionary

  • onomatopoeia — /ˌɒnəmætəˈpiə / (say .onuhmatuh peeuh) noun 1. the formation of a name or word by imitating the sound associated with the thing designated, as in mopoke and whippoorwill which probably originated in onomatopoeia. 2. a word so formed. 3. the use… …  

  • Onomatopoeia (comics) — Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia, from the cover to Green Arrow #13. Art by Matt Wagner. Publication information Publisher …   Wikipedia

  • Onomatopoeia (album) — Onomatopoeia Studio album by Jonny 5 + Yak (Flobots) Released July 24, 20 …   Wikipedia

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