sonority

[ suh-nawr-i-tee, -nor- ]

noun

, plural so·nor·i·ties.

1. the condition or quality of being resonant or sonorous.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonority¹

1515–25; < Medieval Latin sonōritās < Late Latin: melodiousness, equivalent to Latin sonōr ( us ) ( sonorous ) + -itās -ity

Example Sentences

The first three movements are the best; the only charm of the fourth being its sonority, for the musical contents are poor.

From Project Gutenberg

It does not possess the rough gravity of the Spanish, and has too few of the i's and e's that soften the sonority of the Italian.

From Project Gutenberg

The hymn began to repeat itself, the individual words lost in the sonority of the hall.

From Project Gutenberg

From the phonetic point of view we may think of words and groups of words as consisting of a series of sounds of varying sonority.

From Project Gutenberg

We may indicate the sonority very roughly by lines; if we connect their top ends, we shall obtain a curve.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accent
• harmony
• melody
• music
• noise
• note
• tone
• vibration
• voice