Definition of RHOTIC

rhotic

Meanings

Plural: rhotics

Adj

  • That allows the phoneme /ɹ/ even when not followed by a vowel, as in bar (/bɑːɹ/) and bard or barred (/bɑːɹd/); (of an English speaker) who speaks with such an accent.
  • Having a sound quality associated with the letter R; having the sound of any of certain IPA symbols, including /ɹ/, /ɻ/, /ɚ/, /ɝ/ and /r/.

Noun

  • A rhotic consonant or rhotic vowel (R-coloured vowel).

Origin / Etymology

Back-formation from rhotacism, coined in 1968 by John C. Wells.

Antonyms

non-rhotic

Scrabble Score: 11

rhotic is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
rhotic is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
rhotic is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

rhotic is a valid Words With Friends word