Consonant Definition

kŏnsə-nənt

consonants

adjective

In harmony or agreement; in accord.

Webster's New World

Corresponding or alike in sound, as words or syllables.

American Heritage

Harmonious in tone.

Webster's New World

Having consonance.

Webster's New World

Consonantal.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

consonants

Any speech sound in the production of which the speaker completely stops and then releases the air stream, as in (p, t, k, b, d, g), stops it at one point while it escapes at another, as in (m, n, ŋ, l, r), forces it through a loosely closed or very narrow passage, as in (f, v, s, z, , , , , H, , h, w, y), or uses a combination of these means, as in (, j)

Webster's New World

A letter or symbol representing such a sound.

Webster's New World

Any phoneme, esp. one produced as described above, that does not form the peak of a syllable.

Webster's New World

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
vowel

Other Word Forms of Consonant

Noun

Singular:

consonant

Plural:

consonants

Origin of Consonant

Middle English from Old French from Latin cōnsonāns cōnsonant- present participle of cōnsonāre to agree com- com- sonāre to sound swen- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Old French, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from prefix con- (“with”), + present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”)

From Wiktionary