continuant

2 definitions found

continuant - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Continuant \Con*tin"u*ant\, a.
     Continuing; prolonged; sustained; as, a continuant sound. --
     n. A continuant sound; a letter whose sound may be prolonged.
     [1913 Webster]

continuant - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  continuant
      adj 1: of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a
             constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both
             `thin' and `then') [syn: fricative, continuant,
             sibilant, spirant, strident]
      n 1: consonant articulated by constricting (but not closing) the
           vocal tract [syn: continuant consonant, continuant]
           [ant: occlusive, plosive, plosive consonant, plosive speech sound
           , stop, stop consonant]