unison

[yoo-nuh-suhn, -zuhn]

noun

1. coincidence in pitch of two or more musical tones, voices, etc.

2. the musical interval of a perfect prime.

3. the performance of musical parts at the same pitch or at the octave.

4. a sounding together in octaves, especially of male and female voices or of higher and lower instruments of the same class.

5. a process in which all elements behave in the same way at the same time; simultaneous or synchronous parallel action.

   to march in unison.

UNISON

¹

/ ˈjuːnɪsən /

noun

1. (in Britain) a trade union representing local government, health care, and other workers: formed in 1993 by the amalgamation of COHSE, NALGO, and NUPE

unison

²

/ -zən, ˈjuːnɪsən /

noun

1. music

   1. the interval between two sounds of identical pitch

   2. (modifier) played or sung at the same pitch

      unison singing

2. complete agreement; harmony (esp in the phrase in unison )

unison

1. Playing or singing the same musical notes, or notes separated from each other by one or several octaves. Musicians who perform in unison are not playing or singing chords.

Other Word Forms

• unisonous adjective
• nonunison noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of UNISON¹

1565–75; < Medieval Latin ūnisonus of a single sound, equivalent to Latin ūni- uni- + sonus sound

Word History and Origins

Origin of UNISON¹

C16: from Late Latin ūnisonus, from _uni- + sonus sound

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in unison, in perfect accord; corresponding exactly.

   My feelings on the subject are in unison with yours.

Example Sentences

The props turn slowly in unison—calibrating, calibrating—then spool furiously, a squadron of lawn mowers on deck.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Under her firm hand, my classmates and I marched through our ABCs in unison, voicing each letter like an orchestra tuning for a show.

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Much of Mr. Roberts’s movement for that quartet of dancers, despite some upper-body torsioning and unison pacings, presents repeated articulations for their arms, suggesting the flapping of wings, which grows monotonous.

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“A protector,” he mutters to himself in unison.

Read more on Salon

That is only possible with a network of computers working in unison and in extremely close proximity.

Read more on BBC