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dissonus

Etymology and origin of the Latin word dissonus

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Livy
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*swenH-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈdɪs.sɔ.nʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdis.so.nus][1]

Forms

dissonus (feminine dissona, neuter dissonum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is from dis- and sonus “sound”, the opposite of cōnsonus; compare dissonō.[2][3][1] De Vaan traces ⟨sonō⟩ to Proto-Italic *swena-, from Proto-Indo-European *swenH- (“to sound”).[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Livy, of confused sounds.[2] Köbler dates Livy 59 BC–17 AD.[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant dissonant, discordant, confused in sound, resounding with confused noises, as in Livy and Tacitus, and composed of diverse elements, differing, as of peoples different in speech.[2][6] Lewis & Short note that it is not used before Augustus, nor by Virgil, Ovid or Horace.[7]

British Medieval Latin used it in music for dissonant.[8]

Timeline

  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it.[2][5]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it.[6][5]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Dissonant, discordant, confused.[2][7]
  2. Heterogeneous, differing.[2][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Dissonus.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/dissonus. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·