consonance

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   agreement or compatibility between opinions, principles, qualities, or actions

   The proposal is in consonance with the institution's stated commitment to equal access.

2. 2
   noun

   a harmonious or stable combination of musical tones, as opposed to dissonance

   The final chord resolves the passage's tension into consonance.

3. 3
   noun

   the repetition of identical or similar consonant sounds in nearby words, especially when the vowels differ

   The poet creates consonance through the repeated k sounds in "blank rock."

From Middle English and French consonance, from Latin consonantia ("agreement, harmony"), based on consonare ("sound together"), from con- ("together") + sonare ("sound"). The figurative agreement sense grows directly from sounds being in harmony.

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