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Webster 1913 Edition
Spirant
Spi′rant
,Noun.
(Phon.)
A term used differently by different authorities; – by some as equivalent to fricative, – that is, as including all the continuous consonants, except the nasals m, n, ng; with the further exception, by others, of the liquids r, l, and the semivowels w, y; by others limited to f, v, th surd and sonant, and the sound of German ch, – thus excluding the sibilants, as well as the nasals, liquids, and semivowels. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 197-208.