rhotacism

noun

rho·​ta·​cism ˈrō-tə-ˌsiz-əm How to pronounce rhotacism (audio)
1
: a defective pronunciation of r
especially : substitution of some other sound for that of r
2
linguistics : the historical change of a voiced consonant sound (such as the alveolar consonants \z\, \d\, \l\ or \n\) to an r-like consonant

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Rhotacismus, from Middle Greek rhōtakízein "to use the letter ρ or the sound r excessively or incorrectly" + German -ismus -ism — more at rhotacize

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of rhotacism was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near rhotacism

Rhopalura

rhotacism

rhotacize

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Rhotacism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhotacism. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

rhotacism

noun
rho·​ta·​cism ˈrōt-ə-ˌsiz-əm How to pronounce rhotacism (audio)
: a defective pronunciation of r
especially : substitution of some other sound for that of r
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

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

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

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
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
Giving Thanks Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...