Etymologically
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sono

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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
  • 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