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