phonetic

[fuh-net-ik, foh-] /fəˈnɛt ɪk, foʊ-/
adjective
1.
Also, phonetical. of or pertaining to speech sounds, their production, or their transcription in written symbols.
2.
corresponding to pronunciation:
phonetic transcription.
3.
agreeing with pronunciation:
phonetic spelling.
4.
concerning or involving the discrimination of nondistinctive elements of a language. In English, certain phonological features, as length and aspiration, are phonetic but not phonemic.
noun
5.
(in Chinese writing) a written element that represents a sound and is used in combination with a radical to form a character.
Origin
1820-30; < Neo-Latin phōnēticus < Greek phōnētikós vocal, equivalent to phōnēt(ós) to be spoken (verbid of phōneîn to speak) + -ikos -ic
Related forms
phonetically, adverb
nonphonetic, adjective
nonphonetical, adjective
nonphonetically, adverb
unphonetic, adjective
unphonetical, adjective
unphonetically, adverb
Can be confused
fanatic, phonetic.
Examples from the web for phonetic
  • At the core of speech recognition lies the phoneme, which is the basic phonetic building block.
  • The method, which uses a phonetic approach, is described as a language-arts program.
  • Most secondary-school pupils have their own mobile telephones, and they use an abbreviated phonetic language to communicate.
  • The top one shows how it is normally written in the phonetic hiragana style.
  • The current professional basketball season has challenged the phonetic abilities of fans and broadcasters alike.
  • There's a reason other languages use a phonetic alphabet.
  • Share with students the following phonetic spellings.
  • Many people of my age are reluctant to use the abbreviations or phonetic spelling that texting requires.
  • phonetic scraps and prevailingly low dynamic levels were all that were needed to evoke a suitably tenebrous atmosphere.
  • The evidence shows that this phonetic language is learnable within one year.
British Dictionary definitions for phonetic

phonetic

/fəˈnɛtɪk/
adjective
1.
of or relating to phonetics
2.
denoting any perceptible distinction between one speech sound and another, irrespective of whether the sounds are phonemes or allophones Compare phonemic (sense 2)
3.
conforming to pronunciation: phonetic spelling
Derived Forms
phonetically, adverb
Word Origin
C19: from New Latin phōnēticus, from Greek phōnētikos, from phōnein to make sounds, speak
Word Origin and History for phonetic
adj.

"representing vocal sounds," 1803, from Modern Latin phoneticus (1797), from Greek phonetikos "vocal," from phonetos "to be spoken, utterable," verbal adjective of phonein "to speak clearly, utter," from phone "sound, voice" (see fame (n.)).

phonetic in Medicine

phonetic pho·net·ic (fə-nět'ĭk)
adj.

  1. Of or relating to phonetics.

  2. Representing the sounds of speech with a set of distinct symbols, each designating a single sound.