Euphony
[YOO-fə-nee]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Greek, 17th century
1.
The quality of being pleasing to the ear, especially through a harmonious combination of words.
2.
The tendency to make phonetic change for ease of pronunciation.
Examples of Euphony in a sentence
"She wanted to pick out the perfect name for her baby — something unique and with euphony."
"Some abbreviations are created purely for ease of speech and a sense of euphony."
About Euphony
English adopted the noun "euphony" from the French word "euphonie," but it really goes back to the Greek word "euphōnia," derived from the adjective "euphōnos," meaning "well sounding." Any word containing "phon" can be traced to the Greek "phōnē," which means "sound."
Did you Know?
Euphony can describe any pleasing sound, but it is most commonly applied to words. There is, however, a specific linguistic phenomenon called "euphony." Some speakers are drawn to easier-to-pronounce words, even going so far as to alter the pronunciation of words to make them simpler and faster to say. The development of contractions is an example of euphony.
