Definitions for onomatopoeiaˌɒn əˌmæt əˈpi ə, -ˌmɑ tə-
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
on•o•mat•o•poe•iaˌɒn əˌmæt əˈpi ə, -ˌmɑ tə-(n.)
the formation of a word, as cuckoo or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.
Category: Language/Linguistics
the use of such imitative words.
Category: Rhetoric
Origin of onomatopoeia:
1570–80; < LL < Gk onomatopoiía making of words
on`o•mat`o•poe′i•cal•ly(adv.)
on`o•mat`o•po•et′i•cal•ly(adv.)
Princeton's WordNet
onomatopoeia(noun)
using words that imitate the sound they denote
Wiktionary
onomatopoeia(Noun)
The property of a word of sounding like what it represents.
onomatopoeia(Noun)
A word that sounds like what it represents, such as "gurgle" or "hiss".
onomatopoeia(Noun)
The use of language whose sound imitates that which it names.
Origin: From ὀνοματοποιία, from ονοματοποιέω, from ὄνομα + ποιέω.
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
Onomatopoeia
formations of words resembling in sound that of the things denoted by them.
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