mute h

plural mute h's

1. human sciencesIn the French language usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant.

   The French word homme ("man") begins with a mute h. Consequently we can say l'homme /l‿ɔm/ and les hommes /le‿zɔm/, but never /lə ɔm/ and /le ɔm/, like we do with the aspirated h.

   3 more examples

   Whether the h be a mute h or an aspirate h, it may be regarded in either case as absolutely silent.

   1913, James Geddes, French Pronunciation, page 83

   In French initial h’s are called either mute h’s (the greatest number) or aspirate h’s (fewer in number, but frequent nonetheless).

   1994, Thomas M. Donnan, French Lyric Diction, page 83

   The only difference between the two is that a mute h allows contractions and liaisons in front of it, and an aspirated h does not.

   2006, Laura K. Lawless, The Everything French Grammar Book, page 29

   Synonyms: silent h, unaspirated h, h-dropping

2. literallyhuman sciencesNon-aspiration of a glottal consonant.