| consonant |
| Definition:
(1) A breath-obstructed speech sound that forms a syllable when combined with a vowel. (2) An alphabetical character that represents a breath-obstructed speech sound. |
| Example: b, d, f, and g |
| Etymology: The word derives from the Latin consonare, to sound together (from com, with + sonare, to sound), |
| Oxford English Dictionary: The word's first OED citation is from about 1308: "Þis uers is imakid wel Of consonans and wowel." (Sat. People Kildare 18 in E.E.P. (1862) 153) |