sibilate

1 of 2

verb

sib·​i·​late ˈsi-bə-ˌlāt 

sibilated; sibilating

intransitive verb

1

: hiss

2

: to utter an initial sibilant : prefix an \s\-sound

transitive verb

1

: hiss

2

: to pronounce with an initial sibilant : prefix an \s\-sound to

sibilation

ˌsi-bə-ˈlā-shən 

noun

sibilation

2 of 2

noun

sib·​i·​la·​tion ˌsibəˈlāshən 

plural -s

1

: the action of sibilating

2

: a sibilated utterance

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin sibilatus, past participle of sibilare

Noun

Late Latin sibilation-, sibilatio, from Latin sibilatus (past participle) + -ion-, -io -ion

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for sibilate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate