Word of the Day – Phonesthemic

Phonesthemic (adj)

fo-nes-thee-mik

(of a speech sound) shared by a set of echoic or symbolic words, as the sn- of sneer, snarl, snatch, snide, snitch, snoop, etc.

phonestheme such a sound or group of sounds (coined by J. R. Firth in 1930; apparently phon- + (a)esth(etic) + -eme ) + -ic

Example sentences

“I love the feeling of saying phonesthemic words like slippery, slithery, slimy, snake.”