v. (often foll. by to) Phonet.
1. tr. change (a sound or sounds in a word) to another when the word originally had the same sound repeated, as in cinnamon, orig. cinnamom.
2 intr. (of a sound) be changed in this way.
Derivatives:
dissimilation n. dissimilatory adj.
Etymology: L dissimilis (as DIS-, similis like), after assimilate