Standard Lemma guide

lambdacism

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈlæm(b)dəˌsɪzəm/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A pronunciation shift whereby /l/ or other closely related phonemes are substituted for other sounds (typically /r/), as Sally for Sarah or Molly for Mary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

speech defect involving excessive use or unusual pronunciation of the phoneme `l'

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: speech disorder, speech defect, defect of speech

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lambdacismus. By surface analysis lambda + -cism (phenomenon related to a specific phoneme).

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: lambdacisme — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • French: lambdacisme — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • Galician: lambdacismo — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • German: Lambdazismus — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • Hungarian: lambdacizmus — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • Italian: lambdacismo — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • Polish: lambdacyzm — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • Portuguese: lambdacismo — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • Russian: ламбдаи́зм (lambdaízm) — pronunciation of other sounds as l
  • Spanish: lambdacismo — pronunciation of other sounds as l