SPIRANT
fricative, continuant, sibilant, spirant, strident
(adjective) of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as ‘f’, ‘s’, ‘z’, or ‘th’ in both ‘thin’ and ‘then’)
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
spirant (plural spirants)
(linguistics, dated) A fricative.
Synonyms
• fricative
Anagrams
• Partins, intraps, spraint
Source: Wiktionary
Spi"rant, n. Etym: [L. spirans, -antis, p. pr. of spirare to breathe.
See Spirit.] (Phon.)
Definition: A term used differently by different authorities; -- by some as
equivalent to fricative, -- that is, as including all the continuous
consonants, except the nasals m, n, ng; with the further exception,
by others, of the liquids r, l, and the semivowels w, y; by others
limited to f, v, th surd and sonant, and the sound of German ch, --
thus excluding the sibilants, as well as the nasals, liquids, and
semivowels. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 197-208.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition