Main Entry:

on·o·mato·poe·ia

Pronunciation:

\ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-ˈpē-ə, -ˌma-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Late Latin, from Greek onomatopoiia, from onomat-, onoma name + poiein to make — more at poet

Date:

circa 1577

1 : the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (as buzz, hiss) 2 : the use of words whose sound suggests the sense

— on·o·mato·poe·ic \-ˈpē-ik\ or on·o·mato·po·et·ic \-pō-ˈe-tik\ adjective

— on·o·mato·poe·i·cal·ly \-ˈpē-ə-k(ə-)lē\ or on·o·mato·po·et·i·cal·ly \-pō-ˈe-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb