Sibilation
/ˌsɪbɪˈleɪʃən/noun
The production of a hissing or sibilant sound, especially in speech.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from Latin *sibilare*, “to hiss,” and shares its ancient sound-root with words for whispering, whistling, and even the eerie idea of a voice that seems to slip between human and serpent.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sweybʰ-
“to whistle, hiss, or make a sound with the lips”
Latin
Latin
sibilare
“to hiss”
Late Latin
Latin
sibilatio
“a hissing sound or act of hissing”
Old French
Old French
sibilation
“hissing; the making of a hissing sound”
Middle English
English
sibilacioun
“hissing or a hissing noise”
Modern English
English
sibilation
“the production of a hissing or sibilant sound”