Dictionary

mute h en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /mjuːt eɪtʃ/

Etymology

Calque of French h muet.

Meanings

1. In the French language usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant.
   • The French word homme ("man") begins with a mute h. Consequently we can say l'homme /l‿ɔm/ and les hommes /le‿zɔm/, but never /lə ɔm/ and /le ɔm/, like we do with the aspirated h.
   • In French initial h’s are called either mute h’s (the greatest number) or aspirate h’s (fewer in number, but frequent nonetheless). 1994, Thomas M. Donnan, French Lyric Diction, page 83:
   • Whether the h be a mute h or an aspirate h, it may be regarded in either case as absolutely silent. 1913, James Geddes, French Pronunciation, page 83:
   • The only difference between the two is that a mute h allows contractions and liaisons in front of it, and an aspirated h does not. 2006, Laura K. Lawless, The Everything French Grammar Book, page 29:
2. (literally) Non-aspiration of a glottal consonant.

Forms

Antonyms

Germanic h · aspirated h

Synonyms

h-dropping · silent h · unaspirated h

Translations (8)

it h muto (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant) · pt h mudo (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant) · es hache muda (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant) · pl h nieme (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant) · es h muda (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant) · ru немо́е аш (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant) · ja 無音の h (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant) · fr h muet (usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant)