canorous
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- canorously adverb
- canorousness noun
Etymology
Origin of canorous
1640–50; < Latin canōrus, equivalent to canōr- (stem of canor song, equivalent to can ( ere ) to sing + -or -or 1 ) + -us -ous
Explanation
Canorous describes something melodious and pleasing to the ear, like a beautiful piece of music or the sound of birds singing. The word canorous comes from the Latin word canor, which means "melody" or "song." It may be used to describe sounds that are musical and harmonious, pleasant to listen to, like a song. One might use the word canorous to describe a choir's performance; the peaceful and relaxing sound of a flowing river; or the cheerful chirping of songbirds in the morning. Someone might even describe the words of a poem or the sound of laughter as canorous.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A whisp of a canorous clarinet or a rumbling rattle is all it takes for a kind of instant transport to a far-off time and place.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025
Then there came a canorous snarl of bass, and then, abruptly, with resistless charm, and with full-bodied, satisfying amplitude of volume the opening movement of the overture of "Carmen."
From The Pit by Norris, Frank
Sometimes we skirted a cypress swamp and saw the shallow black water with blacker trees reflected upon its bosom, and heard the frogs' canorous quarrelings, and the stealthy rustlings of creatures of the dark.
From Slippy McGee, Sometimes Known as the Butterfly Man by Oemler, Marie Conway
Some are graceful and smooth, however, and are canorous though never sonorous.
From Sabbath in Puritan New England by Earle, Alice Morse
Have you a friend in the army, especially one who sings occasionally, or if he be not canorous, say a friend who likes to read songs and hear them sung by others?
From The Continental Monthly, Vol 3 No 3, March 1863 Devoted To Literature And National Policy by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
