tintinnabulation

[ tin-ti-nab-yuh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

1. the ringing or sound of bells.

tintinnabulation

/ ˌtɪntɪˌnæbjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of the ringing or pealing of bells

Derived Forms

• ˌtintinˈnabular, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tintinnabulation¹

From Latin tintinnābul(um) “bell” + -ation; coined by Edgar Allan Poe in his poem Bells (published 1849); tintinnabular

Example Sentences

The bells keep ringing throughout “Up 2 Me,” the third Yeat album to land this year, but each tintinnabulation seems purposeful and precise, designed to keep our ears attentive to Yeat’s dizzying mouth melodies.

From Washington Post

Two dozen billiard balls roll on tracks, striking a series of devices that set off a tintinnabulation of bells, chimes and metallic clinks.

From Washington Post

Even as I basked in the fortune of my life, loneliness performed its gentle tintinnabulations.

From New York Times

We rarely go for a local walk without encountering a shepherd and that telltale tintinnabulation of neck-bells.

From The Guardian

At this there was a simultaneous tintinnabulation of all the bells, as each graven image lowered its raised foot in distress.

From Literature