Fricative
/ˈfrɪk.ə.tɪv/noun
A speech sound made by forcing air through a narrow channel, creating friction.
Did you know?“Fricative” ultimately comes from Latin *fricāre*, meaning “to rub,” so linguistically it belongs to the same ancient family as words for rubbing, scraping, and friction itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰreyg-
“to rub, scrape”
Latin
Latin
fricāre
“to rub, chafe”
Late Latin
Latin
fricātīvus
“rubbing; characterized by rubbing”
Medieval Latin
Latin
fricative
“pertaining to rubbing”
19th Century
English
fricative
“a consonant produced with audible friction of the breath”
Modern English
English
fricative
“a speech sound produced by forcing air through a narrow constriction”