onomatopoeia Definition
ono·mato·poeia (än′ō mat′ō pē′ə, -mät′-)
noun
- formation of a word by imitating the natural sound associated with the object or action involved; echoism (Ex.: tinkle, buzz, chickadee, etc.)
- the use of words whose sounds reinforce their meaning or tone, as in poetry
Etymology: LL < Gr onomatopoiia < onoma (gen. onomatos), name + poiein, to make: see poet
onomatopoeia Related Forms
on′o·mat′o·poe′ic adjective or on′o·mat′o·po·et′ic--pō et′ik
on′o·mat′o·poe′i·cally adverb or on′o·mat′o·po·et′i·cally
onomatopoeia Synonyms
onomatopoeia Usage Examples
Converse of object
- use: Activity 3 - writing a glass recycling poem using onomatopoeia.
- explore: Explore, onomatopoeia, alliteration, and distinctive rhythms.
Adjective modifier
visual: There seems evidence from the experiments for a kind of visual onomatopoeia.
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