alliteration

[ uh-lit-uh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group consonantal alliteration, as in from stem to stern, or with a vowel sound that may differ from syllable to syllable vocalic alliteration, as in each to all. Compare consonance ( def 4a ).
2. the commencement of two or more words of a word group with the same letter, as in apt alliteration's artful aid.

alliteration

/ əˌlɪtəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the use of the same consonant ( consonantal alliteration ) or of a vowel, not necessarily the same vowel ( vocalic alliteration ), at the beginning of each word or each stressed syllable in a line of verse, as in around the rock the ragged rascal ran

alliteration

1. The repetition of the beginning sounds of words, as in “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” “long-lived,” “short shrift,” and “the fickle finger of fate.”

Derived Forms

• alˈliterative, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of alliteration¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin alliterātiōn-, stem of alliterātiō, equivalent to al- al- + literātiō, modeled after obliterātiō obliteration but intended to convey a derivative of littera “letter”

Word History and Origins

Origin of alliteration¹

C17: from Medieval Latin alliterātiō (from Latin al- (see ad- ) + litera letter), on the model of obliterātiō obliteration

Example Sentences

But if you can get past the predilection for alliteration and the teehee!

From The Daily Beast

I congratulated him on a “well-deserved win” and he commended me my alliteration, smiling profusely all the while.

From The Daily Beast

No attempt is made to preserve alliteration or archaic diction.

From Project Gutenberg

You are familiar with the term "alliteration," and know that it is a favourite device of cheap journalism.

From Project Gutenberg

This has the right swing, and its slightly faulty alliteration could easily be mended, yet Saint Juliana is not verse.

From Project Gutenberg

Holthausen restores alliteration by substituting colde for winter.

From Project Gutenberg

Haec frumenta legit, si comperit; ordea spernit, T. finde ge, if she find: cleche for finde would restore the alliteration.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• cadence
• poem
• poetry
• rhythm
• tune
• verse