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DictionaryRoot: sibilare
Latin

sibilare

to hiss, whistle

1 / 1
A defensive cat caught mid-hiss: flattened ears, wrinkled muzzle, exposed teeth, low tongue, arched back, and puffed tail reinforce the recognizable hissing sound rather than an ordinary meow.
adjective / noun

sibilant

SIB-ih-lunt/ˈsɪbɪlənt/

A hissing sound like s or sh, or having this sound.

Etymology
sibilLatinto hiss, whistle
+antLatindoing or being something

The Latin pieces mean “hissing,” describing the audible quality shared by sounds such as s and sh. The verb sibilare may itself have arisen as an imitation of hissing or whistling.

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