¹consonant

adjective con·so·nant \ˈkän(t)-s(ə-)nənt\

: in agreement with something

music : in harmony

Full Definition of CONSONANT

: being in agreement or harmony : free from elements making for discord

: marked by musical consonances

: having similar sounds <consonant words>

: relating to or exhibiting consonance : resonant

— con·so·nant·ly adverb

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Origin of CONSONANT

Middle English, from Latin consonant-, consonans, present participle of consonare to sound together, agree, from com- + sonare to sound — more at sound

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to CONSONANT

Synonyms: balanced, congruous, harmonious, eurythmic (or eurhythmic), harmonic

Antonyms: disharmonic, disharmonious, incongruous, inharmonic, inharmonious, unbalanced

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

²consonant

noun

: a speech sound (such as /p/, /d/, or /s/) that is made by partly or completely stopping the flow of air breathed out from the mouth

: a letter that represents a consonant; especially : any letter of the English alphabet except a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y

Full Definition of CONSONANT

: one of a class of speech sounds (as \p\, \g\, \n\, \l\, \s\, \r\) characterized by constriction or closure at one or more points in the breath channel; also : a letter representing a consonant —usually used in English of any letter except a, e, i, o, and u

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