aphonia

noun

apho·​nia (ˌ)ā-ˈfō-nē-ə How to pronounce aphonia (audio)
: loss of voice and of all but whispered speech
aphonic
(ˌ)ā-ˈfä-nik How to pronounce aphonia (audio) -ˈfō- How to pronounce aphonia (audio)
adjective

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin aphōnia, borrowed from Greek aphōnía "speechlessness, mispronunciation," from áphōnos "voiceless, mute" (from a- a- entry 2 + -phōnos, adjective derivative of phōnḗ "voice, speech") + -ia -ia entry 1 — more at phono-

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aphonia was in 1654

Dictionary Entries Near aphonia

aphodus

aphonia

aphorism

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Aphonia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aphonia. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

aphonia

noun
apho·​nia (ˈ)ā-ˈfō-nē-ə How to pronounce aphonia (audio)
: loss of voice and of all but whispered speech
aphonic
-ˈfän-ik How to pronounce aphonia (audio) -ˈfō-nik How to pronounce aphonia (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on aphonia

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about aphonia

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...