Definition
In phonetics, a consonant sound produced by narrowing the vocal tract without creating turbulence or closure, like the 'w' or 'y' sounds.
Etymology
From approximate (Latin approximare: to draw near) + -ant (suffix for agents). Named because the airflow approximates (comes close to but doesn't fully block) closure.
Kelly Says
Approximants are the sneaky consonants—they're halfway between vowels and real consonants. Linguists love them because they reveal how sound production is actually a spectrum, not discrete categories.
Translations
BNবাংলা
সন্নিহিত
son-ni-hit
CACatalà
aproximació
ap-ro-ksi-ma-sio
CSČeština
aproximace
ap-pro-ksi-ma-ce
DADansk
approximant
ap-prok-si-mant
DEDeutsch
Approximant
ap-pro-ksi-man-t
ELΕλληνικά
αpproximation
ap-prok-si-ma-tion
ESEspañol
aproximación
ap-pro-ksi-ma-syon
FISuomi
approksimaatio
ap-prok-si-ma-tio
FRFrançais
approximant
ap-pro-ksi-man
GUGU
આપેક્ષીક
a-pe-k-shik
HEעברית
אפרוksima
a-frok-si-ma
HIहिन्दी
निकटतम
ni-k-ta-tam
HUMagyar
aproximáció
ap-prok-si-ma-cio
IDBahasa Indonesia
perkiraan
per-ki-ra-an
ITItaliano
approssimante
ap-pro-ssi-man-te
MSBahasa Melayu
pendekatan
pen-de-ka-tan
NLNederlands
approximant
ap-pro-ksi-man
NONorsk
approximant
ap-prok-si-mant
PAPA
ਅਪ੍ਰો ksiમા
a-pro-ksi-ma
PLPolski
aproksymacja
ap-prok-si-mat-sya
PTPortuguês
aproximado
ap-pro-xi-ma-do
RORomână
aproximare
ap-pro-ksi-ma-re
RUРусский
приблизительный
pri-bli-zi-tel-nyy
SVSvenska
approximant
ap-prok-si-mant
SWKiswahili
karibu
ka-ri-bu
TAதமிழ்
ஒருங்கிணைப்பு
oru-n-ki-nai-ppu
TEతెలుగు
సమీపం
sa-mi-pa-m
TLTL
pagkakalapit
pa-gka-ka-la-pit
TRTürkçe
yaklaşık
ya-klash-ik
UKУкраїнська
приближення
pri-bli-zhen-nya
VITiếng Việt
xấp xỉ
khap-xi