Questions tagged [onomatopoeia]
A word that phonetically imitates or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. Common occurrences of onomatopoeias include animal noises such as "oink", "meow", "roar" or "chirp", or human sounds like "yawn", "gulp" or "mwah".
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What does walking on wet pavement sound like?
I've had the word 'clicking' down for a while, but it truly doesn't capture what I'm trying to express. I have a very distinct sound in my head, but I just can't find the right word. I would just ...
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What's the sound of a starting car? [closed]
I've been looking trying to find an onomatopoeia for a car starting. I've tried to come up with it by making the sound myself, but I come up blank and quite frankly failed to mimicking the sound. It's ...
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English counterpart to Japanese signal word, “Dokkoisho”
What is an English counterpart to the Japanese signal word, “Dokkoisho” uttered unconsciously in such case as sitting down on the bench?
When you get old, it becomes tough to move your body. We ...
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General verb for animal making sound
English language has different verbs for different species of animals making sound, many are onomatopoeias. But is there a general verb that can be applied to an unnamed animal? e.g., can I say "I ...
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Is “corrosion” an instance of onomatopoeia?
I mean, obviously "corrosion" isn't actually onomatopoeic, because corrosion doesn't make a sound (or at least not one that humans can hear). Yet it seems to me that the word corrosion sounds like its ...
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What would be the onomatopoeia for "spit"?
Just wanted to know how to write in a chat room the sound for "spit".
As in "meow" for the sound that a cat makes, what would you write for the sound of the verb "spit"?
(Google wasn't very helpful, ...
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Does "clack" necessarily refer to sound?
I have a question about the verb clack in the following paragraph taken from Sandkings by George R. R. Martin. In this paragraph, the protagonist, Simon Kress, is being shown a strange kind of ...
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When did animal sounds get codified?
Every kindergartner knows that a sheep says baa, a cow says moo, a cat says meow and a goat says maa. But this is just in English. In other languages, they say other things.
When did animal sounds ...
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Is 'to suck your teeth' the same thing as saying 'tsk'? [duplicate]
I am inclined to think that 'to suck your teeth' is a possible description for the sound 'tsk'. Is there any good source to support (or dismiss) my assumption?
By 'tsk' I mean the onomatopoeia for a ...
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What is the word most commonly used for the the sound of glass breaking? (Onomatopoeia) [closed]
Please provide me with the word most commonly used for the the sound of glass breaking. (Onomatopoeia)
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Is "kekeke" considered an English word?
"kekeke" is somewhat of an alternative to "hehehe" or "huehuehue". From Urban Dictionary:
This is an onomatopoeia for laughter. Its origin is the Korean onomatopoeia ㅋㅋㅋ,...
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I need a definition of, usage and correct spelling of caplui
I may be spelling this wrong or this may be a poor version of the word but I am looking for the spelling and meaning of the word caploui
I am trying to use it in a sentence like ' and all of a sudden,...
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Onomatopoeia for disgust [duplicate]
Are there any English onomatopoeias for disgust / loathe? What exclamations are commonly used to express repulsion?
Something that could be used like:
(___) dog shit. I loathe it! (some sound here)...
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Single word to describe something that describes itself [duplicate]
For example orange - orange describes exactly what it is.
I thought that the word was onomatopoeia but when I looked it up — it's described as sounds; e.g. bleat for lamb or miaow for cat.
I was ...
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a word for the sound a person makes when knocked down
Working on a scene where a character is repeatedly struck down by having objects thrown at her, starting the scene with the sound she would make after being hit with a ball made of solid ice.
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How to write the sound of a pool break [closed]
I am trying to write the sound of a pool break. Something like "thwock", but I need some input to capture it best.
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Onomatopoeia for stomach growling?
I've been thinking.
How do I put the sound of growling stomach into words?
I'm also curious about the Onomatopoeia for chewing food and swallowing water.
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Writing out heartbeat sound [closed]
Is it correct to write out the sound of a heart beat as lub dub or are there other variations that are also acceptable?
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Is there another way to write Gasping and Panting sounds?
I'm making a comic where a character is scared and is hyperventilating. What should I write to make it as if they're panting/gasping?
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What are the words to express sobbing and crying sound?
Google doesn't help much.
What are the sounds (written in words) that people usually use to express their crying/sobbing emotions such as in chat, social network?
For example if I say, "I am sad [...
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What is the expression for coughing at the beginning of an utterance officially called?
I was wondering what is the name for the introductory "coughing" in English, i.e. when somebody clears their throat to start their utterance. For example:
"Ekhm... Welcome! How can I help you?"
...
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Onomatopoeia for a kettle [closed]
When the water is hot enough, what is the sound made by the kettle?
Is Choo-choo correct ?
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onomatopoeia for the sound of spoons hitting on the plate when eating? [closed]
Is there any word to describe this?
I have tried inging but not sure if that is the best word.
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Coughing captured in writing
My native language is German and although many people find German to sound like a coughing fit, the language totally lacks an onomatopoeia for coughing (real coughing).
Nor can I think of one in ...
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Word for Self-Exemplifying Phrase [duplicate]
Depeche Mode's song, "I Promise You I Will," contains the following lines:
I'm sorry, but I'm just thinking of the right words to say
(I promise you)
I know they don't sound the way I ...
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Interjection made in mockery to make someone jealous
I seem to remember there is an interjection used by children when they have something another kid doesn't as a way to make them jealous: it's something along the lines of nuh-nuh-nah-nuh-nah said in a ...
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What is the proper convention for writing onomatopoeia?
Say I'm attempting to write a sound, as in 'poof', 'thud', or 'clank'. What's the correct convention to write something like this?
Is there one, or is it a grey area as long as it's clear to the ...
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What sound do blinds make in English?
When you raise or lower a window blind with a one quick movement, it produces a sound, what do you call that sound in English?
I rolled up/raised/opened/ pulled up the window blind quickly with a/...
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Verb or phrase for "to make an onomatopoeia"
In the event that a common, recognized, and understood onomatopoeia for a sound does not already exist, how would you phrase the creation of an onomatopoeia for the sound?
Essentially the word ...
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A word that describes a sound that is not an onomatopoeia
By necessity, visual phenomena have abstract descriptions. The word yellow is only linked to the actual color because our teachers told us so. Sounds are easier to describe. Because language is sound, ...
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To what extent do English words sound like what they describe?
Is it true that the way languages develop causes the tonal qualities of the words to have a tendency to match the nature of the thing the word stands for?
I am not talking just about obviously ...
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What is the origin of "woof!"?
We know that woof is the sound a dog makes when barking. It is used both as a noun and a verb. The word is onomatopoeic but it is also used as an interjection. People woof too when they are attracted ...
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What is the right description of the word "squeaky" in "squeaky clean"?
Is squeaky in "squeaky clean" an onomatopoeia? Is there a right word to describe this word, other than simply an "adjective"? It's something that uses the description of a sound as an adjective.
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Similar forms to word-making as onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is defined as;
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle).
(from Google). They also add:
late 16th century: via late Latin from Greek ...
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What part of speech are non-human "interjections" like "oink" and "bang"?
As a spin-off from this comment:
If a human exclaims something like "ouch!", I believe it's considered an interjection.
But if a pig exclaims "oink!", what is the part of speech?
And if a bell goes ...
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Do onomatopoeic words lose their onomatopoeic character?
Wikipedia mentions that:
Some languages flexibly integrate onomatopoeic words into their structure. This may evolve into a new word, up to the point that it is no longer recognized as onomatopoeia. ...
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What is an onomatopoeia for heavy breathing?
The only one I can think of is "huff," but this isn't very good. I'm trying to find onomatopoeia for the way a person breathes just after they've been running hard.
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Fail trumpet onomatopoeia
There are several sound clips that are widely understood to mean "(epic) fail". I think the most famous one is the one with the oboe or trumpet... 4 notes with declining pitch, the last one being ...
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Onomatopoeia/interjection for snatching something?
E.g. "the dog went [?snatch?] and away it ran with the Frisbee". The word indicates a sudden and unexpected move made to catch or grab something.
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Interjection for the sound of a bell
I saw this other question, but it's not quite what I'm asking.
A bell makes a sound. How would you write that sound in English? As an interjection, e.g. "boom!"
I'm sure it varies with the type and ...
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Is "mellifluous" onomatopoeic?
mel·lif·lu·ous /məˈliflo͞oəs/
Adjective:
(of a voice or words) Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.
As in the title: is "mellifluous" onomatopoeic or is the definition of onomatopoeia stricter ...
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is onomatopoeia itself onomatopoeic? [closed]
As I note, is the word onomatopoeia itself onomatopoeic? Or does the use of the word not quite follow the rules?
I recall being engaged in a spirited debate about this in my high school days—I cannot ...
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Etymology of lisp
A lisp is a "a speech defect in which s is pronounced like th in thick and z is pronounced like th in this". Its etymology reads:
Old English wlispian (recorded in āwlyspian), from wlisp (adjective)...
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Onomatopoeia in "O madness of discourse"
While writing a commentary for Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, my classmate and I got into a small quarrel over the classification of an onomatopoeia.
We were wondering, for the line “O madness ...
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Onomatopoeia Across Languages
Every language has its stock of onomatopoeic expressions, but they vary across nationalities and cultures.
For example, the American “bow wow” (a rapper’s name) has its Japanese equivalent in “wan-...
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What Sound (onomatopoeia) does a launching Rocket make? [closed]
I searched all the internet and comics but couldn't find any onomatopoeia for Rocket blasting into space.
Any ideas?
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Is "hooray" generally considered to be onomatopoeic?
Is this word onomatopoeic, just an interjection, both, something else?
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