formant

noun

for·​mant ˈfȯr-mənt 

-ˌmant

: a characteristic component of the quality of a speech sound

specifically : any of several resonance bands held to determine the phonetic quality of a vowel

Examples of formant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The thumb controlled the formant (that is, the amplitude peak in the spectrum that distinguishes the instrument’s timbre), the index finger controlled the waveform using a circular grid, and the three remaining fingers controlled the periodicity. —IEEE Spectrum, 1 Feb. 2024

Acoustic simulation further supported that gibbons' singing is produced analogously to professional human soprano singing, in which a precise tuning of the first formant (F(1) ) of the SVT to f(0) amplifies exclusively the f(0) component of the source. —Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2012

So that means that when the pitch of the recording is shifted, the formants remain unaffected. —Rachel Gutman, The Atlantic, 15 May 2018

The first two formants, F1 and F2, are instrumental in being able to tell the different vowels apart. —Fidel Martinez, latimes.com, 16 May 2018

In the old playoff formant, the No. 7 seed would have been the Calgary Flames, who trail the Anaheim Ducks 3-0 in their first round series. —Chad Graff, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above