Sibilant

A “sibilant” (SIB-uh-lunt) sound is a hissing - like the “s” and “sh” sounds in the English language.

Example (as used by Barbara Kingsolver in Prodigal Summer): “She loved the air after a hard rain, and the way a forest of dripping leaves fills itself with a sibilant percussion that empties your head of words.”

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