affricate

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/ˈæf.ɹɪ.kət//ˈæf.ɹɪ.keɪt//ˈæf.ɹə.kət//ˈæf.ɹə.keɪt/

noun

A single speech sound produced combining a plosive and a fricative.

Similar
affricativeaffricate consonant
OriginLatin affricātus ← Proto-Italic *frios ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰriH-o-s →
RareScrabble 17
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Meanings

nounaffricate (plural affricates)

plural affricates

  1. human sciencesA single speech sound produced combining a plosive and a fricative.

    Synonyms: affricative

verbaffricate (third-person singular simple present affricates, present participle affricating, simple past and past participle affricated)

present singular third person affricates · participle present affricating · participle past affricated · past affricated

  1. transitiveTo produce (a plosive) as an affricate.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA single speech sound produced combining a plosive and a fricative.

Similar
affricative

More synonyms by meaning

nouna composite speech sound consisting of a stop and a fricative articulated at the same point (as ‘ch’ in ‘chair’ and ‘j’ in ‘joy’)

Similar
affricate consonantaffricative
Broader
obstruent
Also see
affricative

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂éd
  2. Proto-Italic*ad
  3. Proto-Italic*ad-
  4. Latinad-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰreyH-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰriH-o-s
  7. Proto-Italic*frios
  8. Latinfriō
  9. Latinfricō
  10. Latinaffricō
  11. Latinaffricātus
  12. Englishaffricate

Borrowed from Latin affricātus.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic صَامِت مَوْقُوف اِحْتِكَاكِيّ, صَامِت مَزْجِيّ
  • صَامِت مَوْقُوف اِحْتِكَاكِيّ (ṣāmit mawqūf iḥtikākiyy)sound
  • صَامِت مَزْجِيّ (ṣāmit mazjiyy)sound
Catalan africada
  • africadasound
Chinese Mandarin 塞擦音, 破擦音
  • 塞擦音 (sècāyīn)sound
  • 破擦音 (pòcāyīn)sound
  • 破裂摩擦音 (pòliè mócāyīn)sound
Czech afrikáta, poloražená souhláska
  • afrikátasound
  • poloražená souhláskasound
Dutch affricaat
  • affricaatsound
Esperanto afrikato
  • afrikatosound
Estonian afrikaad
  • afrikaadsound
Finnish affrikaatta
  • affrikaattasound
French affriquée
  • affriquéesound
German Affrikata, Affrikate
  • Affrikatasound
  • Affrikatesound
  • Verschlussreibelautsound
Greek προστριβόμενο
  • προστριβόμενο (prostrivómeno)sound
Hungarian zár-réshang, affrikatíva
  • zár-réshangsound
  • affrikatívasound
  • affrikátasound
Irish aifricéad
  • aifricéadsound
Italian affricata
  • affricatasound
Japanese 破擦音
  • 破擦音 (hasatsuon)sound
Korean 파찰음
  • 파찰음 (pachareum)sound
Latvian afrikāta
  • afrikātasound
Lithuanian afrikatà
  • afrikatàsound
Persian انسایشی
  • انسایشی (ensâyeši)sound
Polish spółgłoska zwarto-szczelinowa, afrykata
  • spółgłoska zwarto-szczelinowasound
  • afrykatasound
  • afrykatyzowaćTranslations
  • zafrykatyzowaćTranslations
Portuguese africada
  • africadasound
Russian аффрика́та
  • аффрика́та (affrikáta)sound
Spanish africada, africar
  • africadasound
  • africarTranslations
Swedish affrikata
  • affrikatasound
Welsh cytsain affrithiol
  • cytsain affrithiolsound
Cite this entry
APA

affricate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affricate

MLA

“affricate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affricate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “affricate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affricate.

Source: affricate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.