assibilating
|a-ssi-bi-lat-ing|
/əˈsɪbɪleɪt/
(assibilate)
make sibilant
Etymology
'assibilate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'assibilare', where 'ad-' (assimilated to 'as-') meant 'to/toward' and 'sibilare' meant 'to hiss'.
'assibilate' came into English via Medieval/Late Latin 'assibilare' (formed from ad- + sibilare) and was adopted into English scientific/technical vocabulary (phonetics/linguistics) as 'assibilate' in the modern period.
Initially it carried the sense 'to hiss' or 'to cause to hiss' in Latin; over time in English its usage narrowed to the technical phonetic meaning 'to make (a sound) sibilant' or 'to change a sound into a sibilant.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
present participle or gerund form of 'assibilate'. To produce or cause a sibilant (hissing, 's' or 'sh'-like) sound; in phonology, to change a sound into a sibilant.
The phonetician was assibilating certain consonants to demonstrate the process of sibilant change.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/03 03:32