alliterate
UK[əˈlɪtəreɪt]US[əˈlɪtəreɪt]
v
To use the same sound or sounds, especially consonant sounds, at the beginning of two or more words that are close together.
Morpheme Breakdown
al
liter
ate
al
to, towards
liter
letter
ate
verb suffix
Etymology
The word 'alliterate' is a modern English formation, coined in the 18th century from the Latin components 'ad-' (meaning 'to') and 'littera' (meaning 'letter'). The prefix 'ad-' assimilated to 'al-' before the root 'liter,' a common phonetic adjustment in Latin. The verb-forming suffix '-ate' was appended to create a term describing the specific literary action. Thus, the literal sense of "to add or bring together letters" evolved into the specialized poetic and rhetorical meaning of repeating initial consonant sounds in adjacent words.
Analysis
Structure: al (to, towards) + liter (letter) + ate (verb suffix)
al: Latin origin (ad-), a prefix meaning "to, towards," indicating direction or addition.
liter: Latin origin (littera), meaning "letter" of the alphabet.
ate: Latin-derived suffix (-atus) used to form verbs meaning "to act upon or perform the action of."
Examples
The poet chose to alliterate the words "wild wind" to create a vivid sound effect.
Many tongue twisters, like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers," rely heavily on the ability to alliterate.
The brand name "Coca-Cola" is memorable because it is easy to alliterate.