Onomatopoeia = O: Blogging from A to Z

I am a word nerd; I say it loud and proud. Words have the amazing ability, when strung together properly, to inspire and ignite. The fact that we've made up new words throughout the years to represent sounds and feelings is inspiring (unless that new word is irregardless, but that's another subject!).

Onomatopoeia: [on-uh-mat-uh-pee-uh, ‐mah-tuh‐]  1. the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk, or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or associated with its referent. 2. a word so formed. 3. the use of imitative and naturally suggestive words for rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect.

There's the obvious buzz, wham, tick tock and then there's the pure joy I get from even saying the word. Onomatopoeia rolls off the tongue like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and simply makes me happy. Someone really should honor the word with a song (don't worry, it won't be me) and the melody it inspires.

It already brings to life so many of our favorite nursery rhymes like Baa Baa Black Sheep and Old MacDonald. What Mom has not spent countless hours perfecting her perfect woof, moo, meow, and quack? And to honor O, there's ouch, ow, and oink.

Now that my children are getting older and approaching the teenage years at a rate I cannot control or slow, I have new appreciation for onomatopoeia. Words like mumble, huff, huh, hiss, growl, chatter, screech, sniff, ugh, whisper, and so on.

What's your favorite example of onomatopoeia?

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O down, eleven more to go P to Z.
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