unisson

Forms

unisson m (uncountable)^[1] First written unison (1372); the spelling unisson is a 16th-century remaking.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin ūnisonus (“of a single sound”),^[2][3][4] an adjective meaning “of uniform sound, monotonous” found in Boethius in the 6th century,^[5] compounded of ūnus (“one”) and sonus (“sound”).^[5][2][6] The TLFi calls the source scholastic Latin,^[5] the GLLF Late Latin.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Nicole Oresme's translation of Aristotle's Politics (1372–1374), for the harmony of voices or instruments sounding the same note at the same time.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

As a term of music it names a single sound produced by several voices or instruments;^[2] the phrase à l'unisson “sounding the same notes together” is recorded by the Académie in 1694.^[5][2] By analogy Du Bellay (1549) used it as an adjective of words that rhyme to the ear but not to the eye.^[2]

Montaigne (1588) used it figuratively for a sameness of thought, writing that l'unisson est qualité du tout ennuyeuse en la conference “agreement is a wholly tedious quality in conversation”.^[5][6] From there come à l'unisson de “in harmony with” (1730, Du Marsais) and the adverbial à l'unisson “in accord” (1735, Gresset),^[5][2] by the same figure as au diapason.^[2]

Timeline

• 1372–1374 – Oresme uses unison of voices sounding the same note.^[5][2]
• 1549 – Du Bellay uses it as an adjective of rhymes for the ear.^[2]
• 16th century – The spelling unisson appears.^[2]
• 1588 – Montaigne uses it for agreement of minds.^[5][2]
• 1694 – The Académie records à l'unisson.^[5]
• 1730 – Du Marsais writes à l'unisson du bon sens.^[5]
• 1735 – Gresset uses à l'unisson figuratively.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (music) Unison: a single sound produced at the same pitch by several voices or instruments.^[4][5][1]
2. À l'unisson: singing or playing the same notes together: Le chœur reprit le refrain à l'unisson.^[4][7]
3. (figurative, literary) Agreement of thoughts or feelings between people, harmony.^[4][2]
4. À l'unisson, à l'unisson de: in complete accord, in harmony with.^[5][4][7]

Related words

• son²
• un
• sonner
• Latin sonus

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse