Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

onomatopoeia

/ˌɑnəˌmætəˈpiːə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.15 in modern English

Syllables
ono-matopoeia
IPA
/ˌɑnəˌmætəˈpiːə/
16
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The property of a word that sounds like what it represents.

Uncountable

noun

A word that sounds like what it represents, such as gurgle, stutter, or hiss.

Countable

noun

A word that sounds like what it represents, such as gurgle, stutter, or hiss.

Countable

noun

The use of language whose sound imitates that which it names.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ Proto-Hellenic *ónomə Ancient Greek ὄνομᾰ (ónomă) Proto-Indo-European *kʷey-der. Proto-Hellenic *kʷoiwéyō Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō) Ancient Greek ὀνομᾰτοποιός (onomătopoiós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek ὀνομᾰτοποιῐ́ᾱ (onomătopoiĭ́ā)der. Latin onomatopoeïabor. English onomatopoeia Borrowed from Latin onomatopoeïa, from Ancient Greek ὀνοματοποιία (onomatopoiía, “the coining of a word in imitation of a sound”), from ὀνοματοποιέω (onomatopoiéō, “to coin names”), from ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”) + ποιέω (poiéō, “to make, to do, to produce”). By surface analysis, onomato- + -poeia.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: ὀνοματοποιία

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌɑnəˌmætəˈpiːə/
  • British English: /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Linguistics.

Inflected Forms

onomatopoeias (plural) onomatopoeiae (plural) onomatopœia (alternative, archaic) onomatopy (alternative, archaic) onomatopeia (alternative, obsolete)

Derived Forms

onomatopoetry

Phrases

Wiktionary's category of English onomatopoeias

Frequently Paired Words

onomatope onomatopoeial onomatopoeian onomatopoeic onomatopoeious onomatopoetic onomatopoetical onomatopoetically

Synonyms

onomatope phonomime echoism imitative harmony mimesis phonomimesis sound symbolism

Rhymes With

idea via korea south korea north korea maria santa maria garcia mia pro-mia ea deliver the message to garcia

Questions

How do you pronounce onomatopoeia?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌɑnəˌmætəˈpiːə/.
What does onomatopoeia mean?
The property of a word that sounds like what it represents.
Where does onomatopoeia come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce onomatopoeia

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “onomatopoeia”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌɑnəˌmætəˈpiːə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “onomatopoeia”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “onomatopoeia” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.