Q ::
Q () the
seventeenth letter of the
English alphabet, has but one sound (that of k), and is
always followed by u, the two
letters together being
sounded like kw,
except in some words in which the u is
silent. See Guide to
Pronunciation, / 249. Q is not found in
Anglo-Saxon, cw being used
instead of qu; as in cwic,
quick; cwen,
queen. The name (k/) is from the
French ku, which is from the Latin name of the same
letter; its form is from the
Latin, which
derived it,
through a Greek
alphabet, from th
S ::
S () the
nineteenth letter of the
English alphabet, is a
consonant, and is often
called a
sibilant, in
allusion to its
hissing sound. It has two
principal sounds; one a mere
hissing, as in sack, this; the other a vocal
hissing (the same as that of z), as in is, wise.
Besides these it
sometimes has the
sounds of sh and zh, as in sure,
measure. It
generally has its
hissing sound at the
beginning of
words, but in the
middle and at the end of words its sound is
determined by
usage. In a few words it