Canorous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Producing a pleasing and melodious sound that is rich and musical
2. Characterized by a harmonious and resonant tone that is sweet to hear
3. Emitting a sonorous and tuneful quality that delights the ear

Etymology: "Canorous" comes from Latin "canorus," meaning melodious or tuneful, formed from "canor," a noun for melody or musical sound, which in turn grows from "canere," to sing. That root is the same one behind "chant" and "incantation," so the word sits in a family of English terms all rooted in the act of singing or chanting. The adjective describes sound that is sweet and musical in quality, the kind of tone a bird or a well-tuned voice produces. Its Latin ancestry is direct and transparent, which makes it one of those words where the sense of its origin is still visible in the English form: it is simply the tuneful quality of song, given an English adjective ending.

Synonyms: melodious, harmonious, tuneful

Antonyms: discordant, cacophonous