Definition of: consonant

(kon′sə·nənt) adjective
1. Being in agreement or harmony; consistent.
2. Consonantal.
3. Music Having the quality of consonance. Also con′so·nous.
—noun
1. Phonet. A sound produced by a contact or constriction of the speech organs which results in complete or partial blockage of the breath stream. Distinguished from vowels, which are characterized primarily by the shape of the resonance cavity, consonants are described by their place of articulation (bilabial, alveolar, etc.), vibration or non–vibration of the vocal cords (voiced or voiceless), presence or absence of nasality, and manner of formation (stop, fricative, etc.).
2. A letter representing such a sound. [<MF <L consonans, -antis, ppr. of consonare <com- together + sonare sound]
—con′so·nant·ly adverb
—con′so·nant·ness noun