onomatopoeia

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onomatopoeia

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

onomatopoeia [Gr.,=word-making], in language, the representation of a sound by an imitation thereof; e.g., the cat mews. Poets often convey the meaning of a verse through its very sound. For example, in "Song of the Lotus-Eaters" Tennyson indicates the slow, sensuous, and langorous life of the Lotus-Eaters by the sound of the words he uses to describe the land in which they live:

Here are cool mosses deep,
And through the moss the ivies creep,
And in the stream the long-leaved flowers weep,
And from the craggy ledge the poppy hangs in sleep.
Onomatopoeia can also represent harsh and unpleasant sounds, as in Browning's "Meeting at Night" :

A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match.

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onomatopoeia

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | © The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

onomatopoeia the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle). Recorded from the late 16th century, the term comes from Greek onomatopoiia ‘word-making’.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "onomatopoeia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "onomatopoeia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (November 11, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-onomatopoeia.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "onomatopoeia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-onomatopoeia.html

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onomatopoeia

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

onomatopoeia word-formation based on imitation. XVI. — late L. — Gr. onomatopoiíā making of words, f. onomatopoiós, f. ónoma, -mat- NAME + -poios -making.
Hence onomatopoeic, onomatopoetic XIX.

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T. F. HOAD. "onomatopoeia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "onomatopoeia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (November 11, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-onomatopoeia.html

T. F. HOAD. "onomatopoeia." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved November 11, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-onomatopoeia.html

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