fricative
|fric-a-tive|
/ˈfrɪkətɪv/
produces friction (sound)
Etymology
'fricative' originates from French, specifically the word 'fricatif', where the root 'fricare' (Latin) meant 'to rub'.
'fricative' changed from the French word 'fricatif' (derived from Latin 'fricare') and was adopted into English phonetic terminology in the 19th century as 'fricative'.
Initially, related to 'rubbing' or 'causing friction', but over time it specialized to mean 'a consonant produced by friction (turbulent airflow)'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a consonant sound produced by forcing air through a narrow channel in the vocal tract, causing turbulent airflow (e.g., English /f/, /v/, /s/).
The English /s/ is a common fricative produced with a narrow channel at the teeth.
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Adjective 1
relating to or characterized by friction; in phonetics, describing a sound produced by turbulent airflow (used in phrases like 'fricative consonant').
Linguists described the phoneme as fricative rather than a stop.
Synonyms
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Last updated: 2025/12/27 05:07