Consonancies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Harmonious agreement or correspondence among things ; the repeated use of matching consonant sounds in nearby words for a pleasing effect
2. States of accord or harmony between different elements ; patterns of shared consonant sounds across closely placed words in verse or prose
3. Instances of agreement or fitting harmony between parts ; occurrences of similar consonant sounds clustered together in poetry or speech

Etymology: "Consonancies" is the plural of "consonancy," a noun meaning harmony between parts. Its root is the Latin "consonantia," formed from "consonans," meaning "sounding together," which comes from "con-" (together) and "sonans" (sounding). The same Latin word gave English "consonance," so the two are doublets: separate English words that came down from one source by different routes. The plural form simply counts separate instances of that harmony, as in several agreements or accords that fit together. The core idea in the root is literal sound: things that sound together, which is why the word began in music before it came to describe any agreement of parts.

Synonyms: consonance

Antonyms: dissonance