phenomime; mimetic word
Linguistics term for words that mimic states, conditions, or manners without sound, such as じめじめ (damp) or ゆったり (calmly). Contrasts with 擬音語 (onomatopoeia) which mimics sounds.
"Jimejime" is a phenomime that expresses dampness.
Please explain the difference between phenomimes and onomatopoeia.
Compound of 擬 (gi, 'mimic') + 態 (tai, 'state/appearance') + 語 (go, 'word'). A modern linguistic coinage.