Word of the Day
tintinnabulation
noun
the ringing or sound of bells.
Why Dana P. chose tintinnabulation
During Dictionary Week, we asked you to share words that inspire you. We liked some submissions so much, we selected them as our Word of the Day!
Tintinnabulation was contributed by Dana P., who says: “You can literally hear little bells chiming when you read it. Onomatopoeic, isn't it? And I learned it on Dictionary.com!”More about tintinnabulation
Tintinnabulation is based on the Latin verb tintinnāre, meaning “to ring.” Tintinnāre was created by mimicking the sound of ringing, similar to English ding-dong. Tintinnabulation is often credited to Edgar Allan Poe, who featured the word in his poem The Bells in 1848, but Charles Dickens used tintinnabulation a year prior in his novel Dombey and Son.
EXAMPLE OF TINTINNABULATION USED IN A SENTENCE
A tintinnabulation resounded from the front desk as the guests tried to alert the hotel staff of their arrival.
More about uhuru
Uhuru is a loanword from Swahili, a Bantu language with substantial influence from Arabic. The u- element is a native Swahili term roughly meaning “-ity, -ness,” while huru, “free,” comes from Arabic ḥurr. This Arabic term is also the source of Spanish ahorrar, “to save, avoid.” Uhuru was first recorded in English in the late 1950s.
EXAMPLE OF UHURU USED IN A SENTENCE
Decades of dedicated political action resulted in uhuru for the newly founded country.
More about omnia vincit amor
Omnia, “all, everything,” is the neuter plural of omnis, “all, every,” while amor means “love.” Vincit is a form of vincere, “to conquer, win,” which is also the source of the Word of the Day victorine. Omnia vincit amor was first recorded in English in the late 16th century.
EXAMPLE OF OMNIA VINCIT AMOR USED IN A SENTENCE
“Omnia vincit amor,” declared the officiant, and the couple began to exchange vows.