Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

zetacism

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: zetacism
IPA

21

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A sound change converting a consonant into /z/, the voiced alveolar sibilant.

Uncountable

noun

The lack of a sound change in a language when languages in the same family undergo rhotacism.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"In the Lettish language, which partakes altogether of a more modern character, the zetacism seizes the dentals, gutterals ^([sic]), sibilants and liquids […]"
"Alternately, it was proposed that the reverse processes of sigmatism (the reverse of lambdacism) and zetacism (the reverse of rhotacism) may more accurately describe the alternations seen."

Etymology

From zeta + -cism (phenomenon related to a specific phoneme).

Word Breakdown

Suffix: zeta

Usage

Uncountable

Frequently Paired Words

rhotacism

Questions

What does zetacism mean?: A sound change converting a consonant into /z/, the voiced alveolar sibilant.
Where does zetacism come from?: From zeta + -cism (phenomenon related to a specific phoneme).

How to pronounce zetacism

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “zetacism”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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