Honk
/hɒŋk/noun
A loud, resonant sound made by a goose, horn, or vehicle horn, or the act of making such a sound.
Did you know?Unlike many English words, “honk” is largely imitative: its shape was created to resemble the harsh nasal sound it describes rather than inherited from a remote ancient root.
Etymological Timeline
Prehistoric sound-symbolism
Imitative
*honk
“A reconstructed-style representation of a harsh, resonant nasal call; not a securely documented ancestral word”
17th Century
English
honk
“A cry or call resembling that of a goose”
19th Century
English
honk
“To utter a goose-like cry or sound a horn”
Modern English
English
honk
“To sound a vehicle horn, or the loud sound produced by one”