obstruent
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ob·stru·ent
(ŏb′stro͞o-ənt)adj.
Obstructing or closing natural openings or passages of the body.
n.
1. An obstruent medicine or agent.
2. Linguistics A sound, such as a stop, fricative, or affricate, that is produced with complete blockage or at least partial constriction of the airflow through the nose or mouth.
[Latin obstruēns, obstruent-, present participle of obstruere, to obstruct; see obstruct.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
obstruent
(ˈɒbstrʊənt) medadj
(Medicine) causing obstruction, esp of the intestinal tract
n
(Medicine) anything that causes obstruction
[C17: from Latin obstruere to obstruct]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ob•stru•ent
(ˈɒb stru ənt)adj.
1. (of a speech sound) characterized by stoppage or obstruction of the flow of air from the lungs.
n. 2. an obstruent speech sound; a stop, fricative, or affricate. Compare resonant (def. 7).
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | obstruent - a consonant that is produced with a partial or complete blockage of the airflow from the lungs through the nose or mouth consonant - a speech sound that is not a vowel occlusive, plosive, plosive consonant, plosive speech sound, stop consonant, stop - a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it; "his stop consonants are too aspirated" continuant, continuant consonant - consonant articulated by constricting (but not closing) the vocal tract affricate, affricate consonant, affricative - a composite speech sound consisting of a stop and a fricative articulated at the same point (as `ch' in `chair' and `j' in `joy') |
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