Honk

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /hɒŋk/

Definitions

1. To produce a loud, sharp noise usually by pressing a vehicle's horn ; to make a loud sound that resembles a goose's call ; to emit a distinctive nasal call often associated with certain animals
2. To sound a warning or signal by using a horn on a vehicle ; to imitate the distinctive call of a goose ; to give a nasal vocal sound, often sharp and clear
3. To use a horn to create a loud honking noise as a means of alerting others ; to replicate the honking sound typical of geese ; to produce a high-pitched nasal sound characteristic of some birds or persons

Etymology: Most words of this kind are named after the sound they make, but "honk" is a rare case where the imitation is so exact that it became the name for the sound of a car horn itself. The verb and noun share a root, and the sound it imitates is the low, nasal call of the goose, which gave English the older sense of the bird's cry. Because the word is onomatopoeic, it was built directly from sound rather than borrowed from another language or assembled from older parts. Its form, with a short vowel and a hard final "k," mimics the abrupt, throaty quality of the call, which is why it moved easily from the animal to the machine once motor horns appeared. The word therefore reflects a human attempt to copy an animal noun by noun, then reuse that copy for a newer sound.

Synonyms: beep, toot