English
sonorous
Sonorous comes from Latin sonōrus ‘sounding, resounding’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructediterative present of *swenh₂-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘to make a noise, to resound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonor‘sound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonōrus‘sounding, resounding’
- Englishearliest quotation 1761sonorous
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swenh₂-‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*swonh₂éyetireconstructediterative present of *swenh₂-
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*swonaō‘to sound, resound’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonō‘to make a noise, to resound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonor‘sound’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsonōrus‘sounding, resounding’
- Englishearliest quotation 1761sonorous
Earliest quotation: 1761, Joseph Addison, The Works of the Late Right Honorable Joseph Addison: “For this reason the Italian opera seldom sinks into…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- ‘to sound, resound’
sound, swan, unison, sonnet, sone, 10 more
through Proto-Italic *swonaō ‘to sound, resound’
through Latin sonō ‘to make a noise, to resound’
re, personal, personnel, resonance, resonate, resonant, parson, resound, consonance, 7 more
Today it means
adj Capable of giving out a deep, resonant sound.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- / sonorous