Chiff

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The brief breathy burst of noise produced at the moment an organ pipe begins to sound
2. The initial puff of air noise heard as an organ pipe speaks before its steady tone settles
3. A short airy onset sound made when a pipe of an organ first starts to vibrate and speak

Etymology: "Chiff" is a noun for a short, breathy sound, and its origin is onomatopoeic: the word was formed to imitate the sound it names rather than being built from older words. The sound is the point. Saying it aloud produces a brief, soft puff of air, the same kind of noise a organ pipe or a sharp exhalation makes. Because the word comes from imitation, it sits in a family of similar sound-words, such as "chuff" and "puff", which share the same breathy quality. Its meaning stays close to the sound itself: a quick, hushed release of breath rather than a larger event or any abstract idea.

Synonyms: onset, speech