rhotacism
English
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rhotacism
- /ˈɹəʊ.tə.sɪ.zəm/ UK
- /ˈɹoʊ.tə.sɪ.zəm/ US
Rhymes with -əʊtəsɪzəm
Where it comes from
From New Latin rhōtacismus, from Ancient Greek *ῥωτακισμός (*rhōtakismós), from ῥωτακίζω (rhōtakízō, “to incorrectly use rho”), from ῥῶ (rhô, “rho (the Greek equivalent of r)”) in analogy with ἰωτακίζω (iōtakízō, “to incorrectly use iota”); itself from ἰῶτα (iôta) in analogy with ἀττικίζω (attikízō, “talk like an Athenian”). By surface analysis, rho + -tacism.
noun rhotacisms
- An exaggerated use of the sound of the letter R.
- A linguistic phenomenon in which a consonant changes into an R; rhotacization.
- The inability to pronounce the letter R; derhotacization. For example: r’s may become burrs or guttural grunts or w’s or l’s (rhotacism); […]
Translations
Every language
noun linguistic sound change
| Español | rotacismo |
|---|---|
| Português | rotacismo |
| Français | rhotacisme |
| Deutsch | Rhotazismus |
| Italiano | rotacismo |
| Ελληνικά | ρωτακισμός rotakismós |
| Русский | ротаци́зм rotacízm |
noun inability to pronounce the letter R
| Español | rotacismo |
|---|---|
| Italiano | erre moscia, rotacismo |
| Русский | грасси́рование grassírovanije, карта́вость kartávostʹ |
Talk about this word "rhotacism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rhotacism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rhotacism. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rhotacism "rhotacism." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rhotacism.Cite this
@misc{rhotacism_2026,
title = {rhotacism},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rhotacism},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
