onomatopoeticadj.
/ˌɒnəmatəˌpəʊˈɛtɪk/, U.S. /ˌɔnəˌmædəpoʊˈɛdɪk/, /ˌɑnəˌmædəpoʊˈɛdɪk/ = onomatopoeic adj.
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the mind > language > linguistics > study of speech sound > speech sound > [adjective] > onomatopoeic
onomatopoeious1661
onomatopoietical1709
onomatopoetic1847
onomatopoeian1860
onomatopoeic1860
onomatopoetical1866
onomatopoietic1875
echoic1880
onomatopoeical1880
1847 Proc. Philol. Soc. (1848) 3 92 Gaelic cashach (cough). This root is seemingly onomatopoetic, like Eng. wheeze.
1863 R. F. Burton Abeokuta I. 100 The horn and the tomtom..express to them a great complication of ideas by onomatopoetic language.
1880 Mind 6 477 The German Geist, and our ghost are probably in part onomatopoetic, and suggest by onomatopœia the action of breathing.
1955 L. Feather Encycl. Jazz (1956) 27 They would use an onomatopoetic expression to describe a typical phrase played by these musicians: ‘rebop’ or ‘bebop’ they would say.
1995 J. Fentress tr. U. Eco Search for Perfect Lang. (1997) v. 74 The presence of onomatopoetic words in a language can be seen as a sign of perfection, not as the proof of the direct descent of that language from a primordial one.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1847