onomatopoeia
noun /ˌɒnəˌmætəˈpiːə/
/ˌɑːnəˌmætəˈpiːə/
[uncountable] (specialist)- the fact of words containing sounds similar to the noises they describe, for example hiss; the use of words like this in a piece of writingWordfinderTopics Languagec2
- alliteration
- euphemism
- figure of speech
- hyperbole
- image
- litotes
- metaphor
- metonymy
- onomatopoeia
- paradox
Word Originlate 16th cent.: via late Latin from Greek onomatopoiia ‘word-making’, from onoma, onomat- ‘name’ + -poios ‘making’ (from poiein ‘to make’).