phoneme

noun pho·neme \ˈfō-ˌnēm\

linguistics : the smallest unit of speech that can be used to make one word different from another word

Full Definition of PHONEME

: any of the abstract units of the phonetic system of a language that correspond to a set of similar speech sounds (as the velar \k\ of cool and the palatal \k\ of keel) which are perceived to be a single distinctive sound in the language

See phoneme defined for English-language learners

See phoneme defined for kids

Origin of PHONEME

French phonème, from Greek phōnēmat-, phōnēma speech sound, utterance, from phōnein to sound

First Known Use: 1894

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

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

Rhymes with PHONEME

abeam, agleam, airstream, berseem, beseem, bireme, blaspheme, bloodstream, centime, coal seam, cold cream, crossbeam, daydream, downstream, dream team, drill team, egg cream, esteem, extreme, French seam, grapheme, Gulf Stream, hakim, headstream, high beam, hornbeam, I beam, ice cream, inseam, jet stream, kilim, lexeme, live steam, low beam, mainstream, midstream, millime, millstream, moonbeam, morpheme, onstream, pipe dream, redeem, regime, rhyme scheme, sealed-beam, sememe, sidestream, slipstream, sour cream, sunbeam, supreme, tag team, Tarim, third-stream, toneme, trireme, unseam, upstream, warp beam, wet dream

PHONEME Defined for Kids

phoneme

noun pho·neme \ˈfō-ˌnēm\

Definition of PHONEME for Kids

: one of the smallest units of speech that distinguish one utterance from another

Medical Dictionary

phoneme

noun pho·neme \ˈfō-ˌnēm\

Medical Definition of PHONEME

: a member of the set of the smallest units of speech that serve to distinguish one utterance from another in a language or dialect <the \p\ of English pat and the \f\ of English fat are two different phonemes>

—pho·ne·mic \fə-ˈnē-mik, fō-\ adjective

—pho·ne·mi·cal·ly \-mi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb