Antennas refers to the plural of antenna: slender, typically vertical devices that emit or receive signals. In technical contexts it means multiple antennae or antennas, used for communication, broadcasting, or sensing. The term spans everyday use and specialized jargon, with pronunciation that often elicits regional variation in stress and vowel quality.
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"The rooftop has several antennas to improve satellite reception."
"In the lab, we adjusted the antennas to optimize signal strength."
"He checked the antennas for any corrosion before the experiment."
"Antennas on the car helped boost the GPS and radio reception."
The word antenna derives from the Latin antenna, meaning ‘a feeler, sail pole, or ear ornament,’ which itself traces to the Greek antilambda or adelphon (root of ‘feel’ or ‘to perceive’). The plural antennae comes from the Italian or Latin-heritage plural -ae, but in English, both antennae and antennas have circulated since the early 20th century. Early radio engineering borrowed antenna as the singular form, with the plural antennas gaining prominence in American English as a general term for multiple such devices. The sense broadened from biological or sensory feelers to device radiators and receivers, paralleling the nomenclature used in zoology (antennae) and engineering (antennas/antennae). First known uses in published texts center around telecommunication descriptions from the 1900s, with “antennas” becoming common in field manuals by mid-century as consumer and military devices proliferated. Over time, both forms are accepted, but “antennas” is dominant in American prose, and “antennae” remains more common in technical or formal writing and in British usage. In modern contexts, “antennas” is typically used as the plural for any number of antenna devices in everyday language, while “antennae” often signals a more technical or biological-flavored sense, even though both appear in engineering discourse.
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Words that rhyme with "antennas"
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Pronounce as u-S: /ˌænˈtɛn.əz/ or /ˌænˈten.əz/ with primary stress on the second syllable. The first syllable is a short, open /æ/ as in ‘cat,’ the second syllable includes the stressed /ˈtɛn/ or /ˈten/ with a clear /t/ followed by a short schwa-less vowel, and the final syllable is a reduced /əz/ or /əs/ depending on the speaker. Typical tempo is two beats: an-TEN-nas. Audio references: consult online dictionaries with audio (Cambridge, Merriam-Webster) and native speaker samples on Forvo or YouGlish for regional variants.
Common errors include stressing the first syllable instead of the second (an-TEN-nas vs. AN-ten-nas), pronouncing the final as a hard /z/ in casual speech (an-TEN-az) instead of the weak /əz/ or /əs/, and slurring the middle consonant blends into /d/ or /n/ (like /ˈændɛnəz/). Correction: keep the nucleus of the second syllable clearly /ˈtɛn/ and land the final as a light /əz/; practice the sequence with minimal pairs contrasting /ən/ vs /ɛn/ and ensure the /t/ is released crisply before the -ən-.
In US English, you’ll tend to hear /ˌænˈtɛnəz/ with a rhotacized final vowel? actually not rhotic; US typically has /əz/ or /əz/ with a reduced final. In UK English, final may be /-əz/ or /-əz/ with stronger non-rhoticity; the middle vowel is often a clear /ɛ/ in /ˈtɛn/. Australian English often features a broader /æ/ in the first syllable and a more centralized /ə/ in the final, with less final plosive release. Overall: stress on the second syllable, vowel qualities vary: US /æ/ and /ɛn/; UK closer to /æ/ or /ɐ/ depending on region; AU tends to a more open front vowel and slightly longer vowels.
Because it involves a three-syllable rhythm with a stress shift, a cluster around the middle with /t/ and /n/ adjacent, and a weak final unstressed syllable that often reduces to /əz/. The risk areas are holding the second syllable long enough to carry stress, avoiding an overpronounced final /z/ or /s/, and keeping the middle /t/ cleanly released. Practice with IPA guidance and slow-speed drills until the sequence becomes fluid.
A unique aspect is balancing the /t/ release with the following /n/ to avoid a bursty /tn/ sequence; many speakers insert a slight vowel between /t/ and /n/ in fast speech, which becomes /tə nnə/ or /tən/. The preferred approach is a clean /t/ stop immediately followed by a light /n/ before the unstressed /əz/.
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