Dictionary

onomatopoeia en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• än'ə-măt'ə-pēʹə or än'ə-mät'ə-pēʹə (US)
• (US) audio
• /ˌɑnəˌmɑtəˈpiːə/ (US)
• /ˌɒnəˌmɛtəˈpæɪə/ (New-Zealand)
• /ˌɑnəˌmɑnəˈpiːə/ US, chiefly Midwestern
• /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• (UK) audio
• /ˌɑnəˌmætəˈpiːə/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ Proto-Hellenic *ónomə Ancient Greek ὄνομᾰ (ónomă) Proto-Indo-European *kʷey-der. Proto-Hellenic *kʷoiwéyō Ancient Greek ποιέω (poiéō) Ancient Greek ὀνομᾰτοποιός (onomătopoiós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) Ancient Greek ὀνομᾰτοποιῐ́ᾱ (onomătopoiĭ́ā)der. Latin onomatopoeïabor. English onomatopoeia Borrowed from Latin onomatopoeïa, from Ancient Greek ὀνοματοποιία (onomatopoiía, “the coining of a word in imitation of a sound”), from ὀνοματοποιέω (onomatopoiéō, “to coin names”), from ὄνομα (ónoma, “name”) + ποιέω (poiéō, “to make, to do, to produce”). By surface analysis, onomato- + -poeia.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) The property of a word that sounds like what it represents.
   • A woꝛde makinge called of the Grecians Onomatopeia is when we make woꝛdes of oure owne mynde, ſuche as be deriued from the nature of thinges. 1553 January, Thomas Wilson, “Word Making”, in The Arte of Rhetorique, […], London: Richardus Graftonus, […], →OCLC, folio 92, verso:
2. (countable) A word that sounds like what it represents, such as gurgle, stutter, or hiss.
3. (countable) A word that sounds like what it represents, such as gurgle, stutter, or hiss. ▸ A word that appropriates a sound for another sensation or a perceived nature, such as thud, beep, or meow; an ideophone, phenomime.
4. (rhetoric, uncountable) The use of language whose sound imitates that which it names.

Forms

Deriveds

onomatopoetry

Relateds

onomatopoetic · onomatopoeic · onomatopoeious · onomatopoeian · onomatope · ideophone · Wiktionary's category of English onomatopoeias · onomatopoeial · onomatopoetical · onomatopoetically

Synonyms

imitative harmony (process or state) · phonomimesis (process or state) · echoism (process or state) · onomatope (instance) · phonomime (instance) · sound symbolism (process or state) · mimesis (process or state)

Translations (130)

no onomatopoetikon (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ja 擬声 (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · az təqlidi söz (word that sounds like what it represents) · cs zvukomalba (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ja オノマトペ (word that sounds like what it represents) · el ονοματοποιία (word that sounds like what it represents) · fr onomatopée (word that sounds like what it represents) · ka ონომატოპეა (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · fo ljóðorð (word that sounds like what it represents) · de klangnachahmendes Wort (word that sounds like what it represents) · ja 擬音語 (word that sounds like what it represents) · ca onomatopeia (word that sounds like what it represents) · gv arrish-ockleeaght (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ro onomatopee (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · hi स्वनानुकरणात्मक (word that sounds like what it represents) · de Schallnachahmung (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ga fuaimfhoclaíocht (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · hu hangutánzó jelleg (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · yo ìfìrósínròójẹ (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · de Klangwort (word that sounds like what it represents) · cmn 擬聲語 /拟声语 (word that sounds like what it represents) · eu onomatopeia (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · mk подражавање (word that sounds like what it represents) · az səs təqlidi (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ru звукоподража́ние (word that sounds like what it represents) · hu hangutánzó-hangulatfestő/hangfestő szó (word that sounds like what it represents) · el ονοματοποιία (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · bg ономатопе́я (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · et helijäljendus (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · pl wyraz dźwiękonaśladowczy (word that sounds like what it represents) · pt onomatopeia (word that sounds like what it represents) · uk ономатопе́я (word that sounds like what it represents) · tr yansıma sözcük (word that sounds like what it represents) · pa ਸੌਤ (word that sounds like what it represents) · vi từ tượng thanh (word that sounds like what it represents) · is hljóðgerving (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · pt onomatopeia (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · tl onomatopeya (word that sounds like what it represents) · de Lautnachahmung (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · fi onomatopoeettinen sana (word that sounds like what it represents) · eo sonimito (word that sounds like what it represents) · no lydord (word that sounds like what it represents) · cs onomatopoie (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · de lautnachahmendes Wort (word that sounds like what it represents) · sh onomatopéja (word that sounds like what it represents) · vi tượng thanh (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · cmn 象聲詞 /象声词 (word that sounds like what it represents) · fa نامآوا (word that sounds like what it represents) · ko 의성어 (word that sounds like what it represents) · de onomatopoetisches Wort (word that sounds like what it represents) · nl onomatopee (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · et kõlasõna (word that sounds like what it represents) · fi onomatopoesia (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · cmn 狀聲詞 /状声词 (word that sounds like what it represents) · hi स्वनानुकरणात्मक (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · tr yansıma (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · et onomatopöa (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · es onomatopeya (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · la vocābulum onomatopoēticum (word that sounds like what it represents) · nl klanknabootsing (word that sounds like what it represents) · de Schallwort (word that sounds like what it represents) · cs onomatopoion (word that sounds like what it represents) · cs zvukomalebné slovo (word that sounds like what it represents) · it onomatopea (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · id onomatopoeia (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · uk звуконаслі́дування (word that sounds like what it represents) · pl onomatopeja (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · de lautmalendes Wort (word that sounds like what it represents) · nl onomatopee (word that sounds like what it represents) · hi अनुकरण (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · sv onomatopoetikon (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · mk ономатопе́ја (word that sounds like what it represents) · la onomatopoeïa (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · da onomatopoietikon (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ga onamataipé (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · hi अनुकरण (word that sounds like what it represents) · hy բնաձայնություն (word that sounds like what it represents) · cmn 擬聲 /拟声 (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · gl onomatopeia (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · eo onomatopeo (word that sounds like what it represents) · is hljóðgervingur (word that sounds like what it represents) · tl onomatopeya (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ja 擬態語 (word that sounds like what it represents) · pa صوت (word that sounds like what it represents) · gl onomatopeia (word that sounds like what it represents) · tl sintunog (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · sh ономатопе́ја (word that sounds like what it represents) · eo onomatopeo (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ja 擬音 (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ca onomatopeia (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ka ხმაბაძვა (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · cy onomatopeia (word that sounds like what it represents) · ro onomatopee (word that sounds like what it represents) · de Onomatopoetikum (word that sounds like what it represents) · tr yansımalı sözcük (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · tl sintunog (word that sounds like what it represents) · mk подражавање (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ru ономатопе́я (word that sounds like what it represents) · id pembentukan kata yg meniru suara (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · la onomatopoēticum (word that sounds like what it represents) · cmn 擬聲詞 /拟声词 (word that sounds like what it represents) · mk ономатопе́ја (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · tr onomatope (word that sounds like what it represents) · da lydord (word that sounds like what it represents) · de Klangnachahmung (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ru звукоподража́ние (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · da onomatopoietikon (word that sounds like what it represents) · ru ономатопе́я (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · fi onomatopoeettisuus (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · hy բնաձայնություն (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · de lautmalerisches Wort (word that sounds like what it represents) · mi kupu ororite (word that sounds like what it represents) · bg ономатопея (word that sounds like what it represents) · de Lautmalerei (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · sq onomatope (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · sq onomatope (word that sounds like what it represents) · cmn 狀聲 /状声 (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · cmn 象聲 /象声 (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · de Onomatopoesie (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · jiv métek-chícham (word that sounds like what it represents) · is hljóðlíkingarorð (word that sounds like what it represents) · no onomatopoetikon (word that sounds like what it represents) · mi kupu pakoire oro (word that sounds like what it represents) · fr onomatopée (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · pl onomatopeja (word that sounds like what it represents) · it onomatopea (word that sounds like what it represents) · es onomatopeya (word that sounds like what it represents) · ar مُحَاكَاة صَوْتِيَّة (property of a word that sounds like what it represents) · ja 擬声語 (word that sounds like what it represents) · de Onomatopöie (property of a word that sounds like what it represents)