Speech sounds produced when the airflow from your mouth is blocked, restricted, or redirected by your lips, teeth, tongue, or throat (like B, T, or S in English).
From Latin 'consonans' (sounding together), formed from 'con-' (with) and 'sonare' (to sound). In ancient phonetic theory, consonants were thought of as sounds that must be paired with vowels to be pronounced—they 'sound together' with vowels.
Different languages use consonants in wildly different ways—some African languages use click consonants made with your tongue, and Hawaiian has virtually no consonant clusters, which is why 'Honolulu' sounds so smooth. Your mouth is basically a sophisticated musical instrument that can create hundreds of different consonant sounds!
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