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onomatopoeia

onomatopoeia definition

ono·mato·poeia (än′ō mat′ō pē′ə, -mät′-)

noun

formation of a word by imitating the natural sound associated with the object or action involved; echoism (Ex.: tinkle, buzz, chickadee, etc.)
the use of words whose sounds reinforce their meaning or tone, as in poetry

Etymology: LL < Gr onomatopoiia < onoma (gen. onomatos), name + poiein, to make: see poet

Related Forms:

onomatopoeic on′o·mat′o·poe′ic adjective or onomatopoetic on′o·mat′o·po·et′ic (-pō et′ik)
onomatopoeically on′o·mat′o·poe′i·cally adverb or onomatopoetically on′o·mat′o·po·et′i·cally