Consonantize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To transform or adjust a sound, word, or phrase by adding or emphasizing consonant sounds, thereby making it more consonantal
2. To modify speech elements by introducing or strengthening consonants in pronunciation or spelling, enhancing the presence of non-vowel sounds
3. To convert or render language features through the inclusion or predominance of consonant sounds, affecting articulation or orthographic form

Etymology: "Consonantize" is a plain coinage built from the noun "consonant" and the suffix "-ize", which forms verbs meaning "to make into, or treat as, the thing named." Its literal sense is therefore "to make consonantal," and that is exactly what it means in use: to convert a vowel or other sound into a consonant, or to strengthen a sound's consonantal quality. The noun "consonant" itself comes from Latin "consonans," meaning "sounding together," from "consonare," a compound of "com-" (together) and "sonare" (to sound). The "-ize" ending came into English through Old French and Late Latin "-izare," borrowed from Greek "-izein." Together the parts give a word that is transparent: a consonant is a sound that sounds with another, and to consonantize is to make a sound behave like one.

Synonyms: consonantise, consonantify

Antonyms: vowelize