Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EUPHONY

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

connect today's word to others: I can still hear my seventh-grade reading teacher joyfully booming out this line from Poe's "The Bells," from the stanza about wedding bells:   "What a gush of euphony voluminously wells!"   We can thank Greek for that euphonious word, euphony. From roots meaning "good" and "voice," euphonia is "sweetness of voice," the Greek word that gave us our English euphony.   See if you can recall its exact opposite, ____phony, meaning "a bunch of sounds heard together that are ugly and harsh"—or literally, "a bad or evil sound." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "EUPHONY" Something that has euphony sounds lovely and pleasant (not harsh). In other words, euphony is beauty of sound. Pronunciation: YOU fuh nee Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the euphony," "this euphony," "its euphony," "such euphony," "no euphony," and so on, but we hardly ever say "euphonies." However, sometimes you might say "a euphony," as in "The phrase has a euphony that pleases us.") Other forms: An alternate noun is "euphonia." For an adjective, pick whatever you like best: "euphonic," "euphonical," "euphonous," or "euphonious." And, you can euphanize something, or euphanize it into some other, lovelier name, title, or label. How to use it: Talk about something's euphony, or the euphony in or of something: "his voice's euphony," "the euphony of her name." What kinds of things can have euphony? Words, names, titles, labels, phrases, speeches, quotations from literature, entire languages, etc. You might do something for euphony or for the sake of euphony, such as devise a slogan, repeat a point, phrase an idea a particular way, give someone a particular nickname, etc. examples: "NAFTA" had concision, along with a certain euphony, that's missing in "the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement." "A [farmer's] unconscious sense of euphony seems to govern the choice of hit or it, there or thar."    — Horace Kephart, Our Southern Highlanders, 1913 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "euphony" without saying "loveliness of sound" or "beautiful to the ear." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "It's called _____, not exactly the most euphonious of (names or titles)." Example: "It's called The Great Dismal Swamp, not exactly the most euphonious of names." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Complete the Limerick! In each issue this month, finish off the last line of the poem with a word or phrase we've checked out before. From the previous issue: As shoppers, we’re not so sagacious: We fall prey to the common fallacious Belief we’ll find solace By shelling out dollars But the satisfaction is fugacious. Try this one today: For me, it’s an everyday pickle: Avoiding clichés that say little. They keep on arising, Tame and tranquilizing, Those phrases highly _____________. review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of EUPHONY is CACOPHONY. But a close opposite of EUPHONY is A. END NOTE. B. SOUR NOTE. C. GRACE NOTE. 2. "_____" has been euphonized into "_____." A. Gentleman caller .. date B. Rapeseed oil .. Canola oil C. New York City .. The Big Apple Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B