sono

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈsɔ.noː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɔː.no]^[1]

Forms

sonō (present infinitive sonāre, perfect active sonuī or sonāvī, supine sonitum or sonātum); first conjugation^[1] Early Latin also has third-conjugation forms such as sonit and sonere, in Ennius, Accius and Lucretius.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *swena- (“to sound”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- (“to sound”).^[3][1] The older third-conjugation verb sonere was gradually replaced by the first-conjugation verb, which de Vaan takes to continue an iterative *swonh₂-eye- “to resound”, unless it was made from the noun sonus.^[3][1]

Cognate with Old Irish seinnid (“plays (an instrument)”) and Sanskrit स्वनति (svánati, “sounds”).^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,^[3] whose shipwrecked girl says “here are rocks, here the sea roars”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make a sound of any kind, as weapons that rang in the temple of Hercules in Cicero, and of people and animals to utter sounds.^[2] Places were said to resound, a voice or noise to be heard, and a person to be spoken of as something.^[2]

With an object it meant to utter a sound or words, to give out a sound, as Varro's sheep that seem to say “be”, and to celebrate in song, as Horace's Alcaeus.^[2] Medieval music theory used it for sounding a note or interval.^[4] It survives as French sonner, Italian suonare, Spanish sonar and Portuguese soar.^[1] English sound “noise” comes from its noun sonus through Old French.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of the roaring sea.^[2][6]
• 204–169 BC – Ennius uses the old form sonit.^[2][6]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of the sound sheep make.^[2][6]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of weapons ringing.^[2][6]
• late 13th century – English sound “noise” is first recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sound, make a noise.^[2][7]
2. To speak, utter (sounds).^[2][1]
3. To resound, echo.^[2]
4. (of a sound) To be heard.^[2]
5. To be spoken of (as).^[2]
6. To utter, give out (a sound, words).^[2][1]
7. To celebrate (in song).^[2][1]

Word family

• circumsonō
• cōnsonō
• dissonō
• exsonō
• īnsonō
• intersonō
• obsōnō
• personō
• praesonō
• resonō
• sēmisonans
• sonābilis

Related words

• sonipēs
• sonivius
• sonōrē
• sonōritās
• sonōrus
• sonus
• English sound
• English sonnet
• English sonant

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ Lexicon musicum Latinum medii aevi (1992–), Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften; online ed. Wörterbuchnetz
5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press