onomatopoeia Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun using words that imitate the sound they denote

WordNet


On`o*mat`o*poe"ia noun
Etymology
L., fr. Gr. , , a name + to make.
Definitions
  1. (Philol.) The formation of words in imitation of sounds; a figure of speech in which the sound of a word is imitative of the sound of the thing which the word represents; as, the buzz of bees; the hiss of a goose; the crackle of fire. ✍ It has been maintained by some philologist that all primary words, especially names, were formed by imitation of natural sounds.

Webster 1913