Discordancy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A state of disagreement or conflict in opinions or actions is described as a lack of harmony or consensus
2. An occurrence where differing views or elements clash, creating an unsettling dissonance in a situation
3. The quality of being inconsistent or incompatible, leading to a discord in musical notes or social interactions

Etymology: Latin "discors" described things at odds with one another. It was built from "dis-", meaning "apart", and "cor", meaning "heart", so the original image was of hearts pulling in different directions. From it Latin formed "discordia", which English took as "discord", and the adjective "discordant" came along with it. "Discordancy" adds the suffix "-ancy" to that adjective. The ending comes from Latin "-antia" through Old French "-ance" and turns a quality into a noun for the state of being that quality. The same word family covers both harsh clashing sounds in music and quarrels between people, so the noun can describe a jarring note or a disagreement.

Synonyms: disagreement, dissonance, conflict, discord, disharmony

Antonyms: harmony, agreement, concord, unity, accord