Dictionary

affricate

noun af·fri·cate \ˈa-fri-kət\

Definition of AFFRICATE

:  a stop and its immediately following release into a fricative that are considered to constitute a single phoneme (as the \t\ and \sh\ of \ch\ in choose)
af·fric·a·tive \a-ˈfri-kə-tiv, ə-\ noun or adjective
ADVERTISEMENT

Origin of AFFRICATE

probably from German Affrikata, from Latin affricata, feminine of affricatus, past participle of affricare to rub against, from ad- + fricare to rub — more at friction
First Known Use: 1880

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: affricatedPrevious Word in the Dictionary: affrettandoAll Words Near: affricate
ADVERTISEMENT
How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears