Definition of FORMANT

formant

Plural: formants

Noun

  • A key acoustic component contributing to a speech sound's quality.
  • A band of frequencies, in a sound spectrum, that have a greater intensity; they determine the quality of a sound; especially the characteristic sounds of the consonants.
  • Synonym of formative (“language unit, typically a morph, that has a morphological function”).

Examples

  • The distinct FORMANT of a long vowel sound makes words sound grand on the board.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from German Formant, from Latin fōrmāns (“shaping; forming; fashioning”), present participle of fōrmō (“to shape; to form; to fashion”). Doublet of formans.

Synonyms

formative

Scrabble Score: 12

formant: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
formant: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
formant: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

formant: valid Words With Friends Word