Etymograph

English

resonance

Resonance comes from Latin resonantia ‘echo’, from resonō ‘to resound’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- ‘to sound’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘make a noise, sound, resound’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEresonō‘to resound’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEresonantia‘echo’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400resonance
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1897same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘make a noise, sound, resound’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEresonō‘to resound’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEresonantia‘echo’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400resonance
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1897same form

Earliest quotation: 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula: “The leiter-wagons contained great, square boxes, with handles of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- ‘to sound’

sound, swan, unison, sonnet, sone, 12 more

through Proto-Italic *swonaō ‘to sound, resound’

impersonal, 8 more

through Latin sonō ‘make a noise, sound, resound’

personal, personnel, parson, sonorous, consonance, 9 more

through Latin resonō ‘to resound’

re, resound, 2 more

Today it means

noun The quality of being resonant.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- / resonance

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