... what the term is for words that, when you say them, sound like the noise you are describing? (Yes, I know I am not explaining that well, BTW) Words like "zip" or "zapped" or "plop"?
I know there really is a term for this phenomenon, I just can't think of it. Why am I asking? Well, I wondered if "dollop" is one of them. It sorta sounds like it should be...
The word you need is onomatopoeia and the derived adjective onomatopoeic: 'the formation of names or words from sounds that resemble those associated with the object or action to be named, or those associated with the object or action to be named, or that seem suggestive of its qualities: atishoo, babble, cuckoo, croak, ping-pong, sizzle'.
ReplyDeleteDollop isn't one of them. It's listed as:
1. A large lump or portion of a solid matter: a dollop of ice cream. 2. A small quantity or splash of a liquid: a dollop of whiskey. 3. A modicum; a bit: not a dollop of truth to the story.
Thanks!!! It was one of those arcane bits of knowledge you learn and then never use again. I knew it had a name, but probably haven't had to use it in 30 years!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure about dollop, but I noticed last night while "dolloping" that its "kinda" the same noise you make when you plop it down.
I gotta believe that "fizz" is onomatopoeic, right?