noun a term used differently by different authorities;
by some as equivalent to fricative, that is, as including all the continuous consonants, except the nasals m, n, ng; with the further exception, by others, of the liquids r, l, and the semivowels w, y; by others limited to f, v, th surd and sonant, and the sound of german ch, thus excluding the sibilants, as well as the nasals, liquids, and semivowels. ·see guide to pronunciation, // 197-208.