Fricative

a.

1.

(Phon.) Produced by the friction or rustling of the breath, intonated or unintonated, through a narrow opening between two of the mouth organs; uttered through a close approach, but not with a complete closure, of the organs of articulation, and hence capable of being continued or prolonged; - said of certain consonantal sounds, as f, v, s, z, etc.

Noun	1.	fricative - a continuant consonant produced by breath moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract Synonyms: fricative consonant, spirant
Adj.	1.	fricative - of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then') Synonyms: sibilant, spirant

sibilant, soft, spirant