sibilance

/ˈsɪbələns/

Anything that makes a hissing sound has the quality of sibilance, like the sentence "The sassy snake slithered slowly."

Sibilance derives from a Latin root, sibilare, which means "to hiss or whistle." There's a certain sibilance in the word itself, with its repeated s sounds. The sound of an angry snake, a whistling wind, a librarian's "Shhhhhh!" or your friend trying to get your attention by saying "Psssst!" — these are all examples of sibilance.

Definitions of sibilance

1. noun

   a hissing sound or quality like the one made by "s" or "sh"