onomatopoeia

Noun

Meaning

The formation of words in imitation of sounds; a figure of speech in which the sound of a word is imitative of the sound of the thing which the word represents; as, the buzz of bees; the hiss of a goose; the crackle of fire.

Source: Webster's dictionary

Synonyms

echoism echo simile device parallel reflection reply imagery analogy repetition imitation analogue allegory rebound allusion
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Antonyms

original same standard source cause start
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Hypernyms

rhetorical device

Related terms

onomatopoeic onomatopoetic onomatope onomatopoeian onomatopoeious onomatopoeial

Examples

Life is too fleet for onomatopoeia. Mervyn Peake

Although in the English language, the term onomatopoeia means "the imitation of a sound," the compound word onomatopoeia (ονοματοποιία) in the Greek language means "making or creating names." Source: Internet

Archaeologist Zhōu Chong-Fa believes that the Chinese word for dragon is an onomatopoeia of the sound of thunder. Source: Internet

For instance, 'ran tan' is an archaic onomatopoeia for chaotic noise or din and may suggest to English speakers a din or meaningless noise; and 'brillig' though made up by Lewis Caroll may be suggestive of 'brilliant' or 'frigid.' Source: Internet

For more examples of how other languages express "laughing out loud", see also: LOL In terms of culture, in Chinese, the numerically based onomatopoeia " 770880 " (Zh), which means to 'kiss and hug you', is used. Source: Internet

Some developed a gangster-like slang for the verb to kill in an attempt to distance themselves from the killings, such as 'shooting partridges', of 'sealing' a victim, or giving him a natsokal (onomatopoeia of the trigger action). page 647, Figes (1996). Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms

onomatopeic onomatophobia onomatophore onomatopoeial onomatopoeian onomatopoeic