spirant
noun, adjective /ˈspaɪərənt/
/ˈspaɪərənt/
(North American English) (also fricative British English, North American English)
(phonetics)- a speech sound made by forcing breath out through a narrow space in the mouth with the lips, teeth or tongue in a particular position, for example /f/ and /ʃ/ in fee and sheTopics Languagec2Word Originmid 19th cent.: from Latin spirant- ‘breathing’, from the verb spirare.