Meanings
plural spirants
- datedhuman sciencesA non-sibilant fricative.
The raising of the stem indicated the opening of the consonant to a ‘spirant’ […]
1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix E1 more example
Spirant consonants are those in which the mouth passage is simply narrowed without any actual contact.
1888, Joseph Wright, An Old High German PrimerSynonyms: fricative
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA non-sibilant fricative.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveof speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as ‘f’, ‘s’, ‘z’, or ‘th’ in both ‘thin’ and ‘then’)
nouna continuant consonant produced by breath moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinspirans
- Englishspirant
From Latin spirans, present participle of spīrō (“to blow”). Compare inspire, expire, respiration, etc.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish spirantti
- spiranttialt term for fricative
Polish spirant
- spirantalt term for fricative
Spanish espirante
- espirantealt term for fricative
Welsh cytsain grech
- cytsain grechalt term for fricative
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
spirant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spirant
“spirant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spirant. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “spirant,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/spirant.
Source: spirant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.