diapason

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The Word of the Day for August 7 is:

diapason   \dye-uh-PAY-zun\   noun
     1 *a : a burst of sound  b : the principal foundation stop in the organ 
extending through the complete range of the instrument  c : the entire compass 
of musical tones  d : range, scope 
     2 a : tuning fork  b : a standard of pitch

Example sentence:
     Diapasons of laughter echoed through the auditorium as the comedian 
wrapped up his act.

Did you know?
     "Diapason" covers a wide range of meanings in English, almost all 
pertaining to music or sound. The word derives from the Greek roots "dia-," 
which means "through" and occurs in such words as "diameter" and "diagonal," 
and "pason," the genitive feminine plural of "pas," meaning "all." "Pas" is 
related to the prefix "pan-," which is used in such words as "pantheism" and 
"pandemic." In Greek, the phrase "he dia pason chordon symphonia" translates 
literally to "the concord through all the notes," with the word "concord" here 
referring to a combination of tones that are heard simultaneously and produce 
an agreeable impression on the listener.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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