Word of the Day

: September 16, 2007

dissonant

adjective DISS-uh-nunt

What It Means

1 : marked by lack of agreement : discordant

2 : incongruous

3 : harmonically unresolved

dissonant in Context

"The beautiful tuna had been cooked to dry dullness, and the bitter baby bok choy was alarmingly dissonant with the sauce." (Patricia Greathouse, Santa Fe New Mexican, August 4, 2006)

Did You Know?

The root of "dissonant" is the Latin verb "sonare." Can you guess what "sonare" means? Here's a hint: some related derivatives are "sonata," "supersonic," and "resonance." Does it sound to you as if "sonare" has something to do with sound? If so, you're right. In fact, "sonare" means "to sound," is related to the Latin noun "sonus" (meaning "sound"), and is an ancestor of the English word "sound." "Dissonant" includes the negative prefix "dis-." What is "dissonant," therefore, sounds inharmonic, conflicting, or clashing.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.