cacophony
/kæˈkɒfəni/ka-KO-fuh-nee
/kæˈkɑfəni/ka-KAH-fuh-nee
Meaningbad sound
Common meaning: a harsh mix of sounds
- cacbad, evilLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 731 · scan
- phonvoice, soundLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 877 · scan
- ynoun ending: study, state or act
‘bad, evil’ + ‘voice, sound’ → cacophony
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek κακός ‘bad, evil’ + Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) ‘voice, sound’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry φωνή (phōnḗ), p. 877 · dictionary scan
Roots
- κακός Greek “bad, evil”
- φωνή (phōnḗ) Ancient Greek “voice, sound”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app