Spanish Conversation · Level 78
60 words
Spanish word
onomatopeya
Pronunciation
IPA/onomatoˈpeʝa/
Meaning
- feminine nounonomatopoeia
Example
¿Qué onomatopeya hace el perro?
Which onomatopoeia does the dog make?
More examples
En la clase de vocabulario, aprendimos onomatopeyas para describir sonidos de animales.
In vocabulary class, we learned onomatopoeias to describe animal sounds.
Core concept
Word used to imitate a noise or a physical or emotional state.
Common phrases
onomatopeyas de animales
animal onomatopoeias
aprender onomatopeyas
learn onomatopoeias
Similar words
sonido: An audible sound or tone coming from people, objects, or the surroundings.
ruido: A harsh or irregular noise that interrupts or draws notice.
imitación: Reproduction of another sound or behavior by copying its form or sound.
Definition in Spanish
Palabra, generalmente un sustantivo, que imita sonidos o estados para describirlos directamente.
Word origin
Derived from Greek onoma 'name' and poiein 'to make' and transmitted through Romance languages, the term refers to the practice of making words that sound like what they describe.
Usage tips
- Onomatopoeias are common in comics and everyday speech and often change form by repetition, capitalization, or punctuation to convey intensity or emotion.
Other meanings
- sound-symbolic wordnoun