onomatopoeia

[Silverhoop]

on·o·mat·o·poe·ia  [on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‐mah-tuh‐]  Show IPA

noun

1.

the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk,  or boom,  by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent.

2.

a word so formed.

3.

the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect.

That's the definition.

So, what are your favourite examples of onomatopoeia?

Mine has to be the word: Hiccup or Hiccough

[lovemwaf]

One word for me that i think really sounds great and expresses the meaning is buzz. I just love the thought and the idea. Buzz is one of those words that are childish but you can say it with dignity. Its pretty cool.

[Silverhoop]

Fantastic.

Buzz has over 5 different meanings in the English language.

1 – To make a humming sound

2 – A confused murmur

3 – To signal

4 – Go quickly

5 – To feel high

And here in Scotland, we also use it for finishing a bottle or can of liquid or sometimes also used for the term when people inhale gas from a pressurised container.

[Daedalus]

There's this thread about onomatopoeia: http://linguaholic.com/english-vocabulary/onomatopoeia/

[linguaholic]

Thanks for mentioning this Daedalus. There is also another thread somewhere about animal-related onomatopoeia. You can easily find it by searching for animal onomatopoeia. Please note: If you are using the search function you should first go back to the home page (if you don't do that you can't find all the relevant search results).