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sonority

[suh-nawr-i-tee, -nor-]
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noun, plural so·nor·i·ties.
  1. the condition or quality of being resonant or sonorous.
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Origin of sonority

1515–25; < Medieval Latin sonōritās < Late Latin: melodiousness, equivalent to Latin sonōr(us) (see sonorous) + -itās -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sonority

noise, tone, vibration, accent, note, music, harmony, melody, voice, strength, din, ringing, softness, modulation, tenor, intonation, report, static, reverberation, pitch

Examples from the Web for sonority

Historical Examples of sonority

  • Where was the sonority in the metallic, crushing blows you dealt in the Liszt Ballade?

    Old Fogy

    James Huneker

  • By the 15th of October the voice of the patient had lost its sonority.

  • By this means a great gain was made in richness and sonority.

    Music: An Art and a Language

    Walter Raymond Spalding

  • It increased the power of the voices and lent them a sonority difficult to believe.

    The Ways of Men

    Eliot Gregory

  • The last ensemble is exquisite—well-nigh unapproachable in sonority and charm.

Word Origin and History for sonority

n.

1620s, from French sonorité and directly from Latin sonoritas "fullness of sound," from sonorus (see sonorous).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper