Sound-symbolic
"Sound-symbolic" in a Sentence (2 examples)
Wagner proposes a sound-symbolic origin, after the sounds these insects [grasshoppers] make. Although this cannot be fully excluded, this word exhibits suspiciously little formal variation for a sound-symbolic formation.
"Bouba" and "Kiki" are sound-symbolic labels, not directly imitating any actual sound but nonetheless carrying strong intrinsic associations with roundness and pointiness, respectively.
More for "sound-symbolic"
Next best steps
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.