Advertisement

Origin and history of consonant

consonant(n.)

early 14c., "alphabetic element other than a vowel," from Latin consonantem (nominative consonans) "sounding together, agreeing," as a noun, "a consonant" (consonantem littera), present participle of consonare "to sound together, sound aloud," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + sonare "to sound, make a noise" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound").

Consonants were thought of as sounds that are produced only together with vowels. Related: Consonantal.

consonant(adj.)

early 15c., "agreeing, corresponding, harmonious," from Old French consonant (13c.) and directly from Latin consonantem (nominative consonans) "sounding together, agreeing," present participle of consonare "to sound together, sound aloud," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + sonare "to sound, make a noise" (from PIE root *swen- "to sound").

Of music, c. 1600; of words, 1640s. Related: Consonantly.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to consonant

consonance(n.)

late 14c., "pleasing combination of sounds, harmony," from Old French consonance (12c.) "consonance, rhyme" and directly from Latin consonantia "harmony, agreement," from consonantem (nominative consonans) "agreeing in sound," present participle of consonare "to sound together, sound aloud" (see consonant (adj.)).

From early 15c. as "agreement among persons as to facts or opinions." Meaning "accord or agreement of sounds in words or syllables" is from 1580s.

triconsonantal(adj.)

"having or based on three consonants," as Semitic words, 1863; see tri- + consonant (n.).

Advertisement

More to explore

vowel
c. 1300, from Old French voieul (Modern French voyelle), from Latin vocalis, in littera vocalis, literally "vocal letter," from vox (genitive vocis) "voice," from PIE root *wekw- "to speak." Vowel shift in reference to the pronunciation change between Middle and Modern English is
agreeable
late 14c., of things, "to one's liking, pleasant, satisfactory, suitable," from Old French agreable "pleasing; in agreement; consenting" (12c., Modern French agréable), from agreer "to satisfy; to take pleasure in" (see agree). Of persons, "willing or ready to consent," mid-15c.
conscionable
1540s, "having a conscience;" 1580s, of actions, "consonant with right or duty;" 1640s, of persons, "governed by conscience...
darling
The vowel shift from -e- to -a- (16c.) is usual for -er- followed by a consonant (see marsh)....
republican
1712, "belonging to a republic, of the nature of a republic, consonant to the principles of a republic," from republic +...
marsh
The vowel shift from -e- to -a- began in 15c. and is usual for -er- followed by a consonant: Compare darling (Middle English...
medlar
In Romanic the initial consonant has shifted to n-; as in French nèfle, Spanish nespera, Italian nespolo (see napkin)....
dental
1590s, "of or pertaining to teeth," from French dental "of teeth" or Medieval Latin dentalis, from Latin dens (genitive dentis) "tooth" (from PIE root *dent- "tooth"). As "connected with or used in dentistry," 1826. In grammar, "formed or pronounced at or near the front upper tee
lingual
"of or pertaining to the tongue," 1640s, from Medieval Latin lingualis "of the tongue," from Latin lingua "tongue," also "speech, language," from Old Latin dingua, from PIE *dnghu- "tongue" (source also of Old English tunge "tongue;" see tongue (n.)). Altered in Latin probably in
ravel
1580s, "to entangle, become entwined confusedly," also "to untangle, disentangle, unwind" (originally with out), from Dutch ravelen "to tangle, fray," rafelen "to unweave," from rafel "frayed thread," which is of uncertain origin. The seemingly contradictory senses of this word (

Share consonant

Advertisement
Trending
Dictionary entries near consonant
Advertisement