onomatopoeia 의성어.

onomatopoeia 오너마터 피아. 의성어.

 

on·​o·​mato·​poe·​ia | \ ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-ˈpē-ə  , -ˌma- \

Definition of onomatopoeia

 

1: the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (such as buzz, hiss)

also : a word formed by onomatopoeia

 

In comic books, when you see someone with a gun, you know it's only going off when you read the onomatopoeias.

 

— Christian Marclay

2: the use of words whose sound suggests the sense

a study of the poet's onomatopoeia

 

onomatopoeic \ ˌä-​nə-​ˌmä-​tə-​ˈpē-​ik  , -​ˌma-​ \ or onomatopoetic \ ˌä-​nə-​ˌmä-​tə-​pō-​ˈe-​tik  , -​ˌma-​ \ adjective

onomatopoeically \ ˌä-​nə-​ˌmä-​tə-​ˈpē-​ə-​k(ə-​)lē  , -​ˌma-​ \ or onomatopoetically \ ˌä-​nə-​ˌmä-​tə-​pō-​ˈe-​ti-​k(ə-​)lē  , -​ˌma-​ \ adverb

 

Did you know?

 

Onomatopoeia came into English via Late Latin and ultimately traces back to Greek onoma, meaning "name," and poiein, meaning "to make."

 

(Onoma can be found in such terms as onomastics, which refers to the study of proper names and their origins, while poiein gave us such words as poem and poet.)

 

English speakers have only used the word onomatopoeia since the mid-1500s, but people have been creating words from the sounds heard around them for much longer. In fact, the presence of so many imitative words in language spawned the linguistic bowwow theory, which postulates that language originated in imitation of natural sounds.

 

Examples of onomatopoeia in a Sentence

 

The term hiccup is an example of onomatopoeia …

— Fred Cicetti, Montague Reporter, 6 Mar. 2008

 

You might think it was an onomatopoeia of the sound a Frisbee makes as it moves through the air, but the name has been attributed for years to the Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, Conn., which went out of business in 1958.

— Mark Danna, Sports Illustrated, 11 May 1987

 

 Buzz and hiss are examples of onomatopoeia.

 

Recent Examples on the Web

 

 

His take may sound like an extreme read on a silly onomatopoeia.

— Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 28 July 2022

 

Hori horis originated in Japan and its name is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of digging in the dirt.

— Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Dec. 2021

 

Reading his writing can be kind of like taking a psychedelic — a literary onomatopoeia.

— Washington Post, 23 July 2021

 

See More

 

 

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'onomatopoeia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

 

First Known Use of onomatopoeia

 

circa 1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

 

 

History and Etymology for onomatopoeia

 

Late Latin, from Greek onomatopoiia, from onomat-, onoma name + poiein to make — more at POET