A continuant consonant produced by breath moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
adj. of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then') [syn: sibilant , spirant ]

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Fricative \Fric"a*tive\, a. [See Frication .] (Phon.) Produced by the friction or rustling of the breath, intonated or unintonated, through a narrow opening between two of the mouth organs; uttered through a close approach, but not with a complete closure, ...

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1854, literally "characterized by friction," from Modern Latin fricativus , from Latin fricat- , past participle stem of fricare "to rub" (see friction ). As a noun, "a fricative consonant," from 1863.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Word definitions in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
noun EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS ▪ D voiceless fricative or any voiced consonant not immediately followed by a voiceless segment. ▪ Loss of the velar fricative is a change that was finally adopted in near-standard vernaculars and formal styles.

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
a. (context phonetics English) produced by air flowing through a restriction in the oral cavity. n. (context phonetics English) Any of several sounds produced by air flowing through a constriction in the oral cavity and typically producing a sibilant, hissing, ...