Onomatopoeia
/ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/noun
The formation or use of words that imitate natural sounds.
Did you know?Ancient Greek writers treated onomatopoeia as a deliberate poetic technique in which human speech imitates the sounds of the natural world.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁nómn̥
“Name; a designation by which something is known”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὄνομα (ónoma)
“Name or word”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ποιεῖν (poieîn)
“To make or create”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὀνοματοποιία (onomatopoiía)
“Word-making; the creation of a word that imitates a sound”
Late Latin
Latin
onomatopoeia
“The use or formation of words resembling sounds”
16th Century
English
onomatopoeia
“The naming or representation of something through an imitative sound”
Modern English
English
onomatopoeia
“Words such as “buzz,” “hiss,” or “clang” that echo the sounds they describe”