Origin: Latin suffix -ive
Fricative has 4 different meanings across 2 categories:
a continuant consonant produced by breath moving against a narrowing of the vocal tract
Any of several sounds produced by air flowing through a constriction in the oral cavity and typically producing a sibilant, hissing, or buzzing quality; a fricative consonant.
of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as `f', `s', `z', or `th' in both `thin' and `then')
produced by air flowing through a restriction in the oral cavity.
The word comes from New Latin fricatīvus, which is derived from the Latin verb fricāre meaning "to rub." This original sense of rubbing was used to describe the sound produced by air passing through a narrow opening in the mouth.