nunation

/ˌnjuːneɪˈʃən/

Definitions

1. noun

the process of dropping a sound in certain positions in a word, especially a consonant sound at the end of a word

“The linguist studied the various processes of nunation in the regional dialects.”

2. noun

a sound that is lost or dropped in a word

“The loss of the ‘s’ sound in ‘bus’ is an example of nunation.”

Synonyms

  • assibilation
  • epenthesis

Antonyms

  • metathesis
  • mutation