unisonaladj.
/juːˈnɪsn̩(ə)l/, /jᵿˈnɪsn̩(ə)l/, /juːˈnɪsən(ə)l/, /jᵿˈnɪsən(ə)l/, U.S. /juˈnɪsən(ə)l/ Music.
Of the same pitch; = unisonous adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > harmony or sounds in combination > [adjective] > unison
unison1598
unisonous1664
unisonal1728
homophonous1753
unisonant1786
homophonic1881
1728 R. North Mem. Musick (1846) 66 All was plain-song, that is counterpoint unisonall.
1784 M. Young Enq. Princ. Phænomena Sounds ii. iii. 147 The string had resolved itself into two unequal, but unisonal portions.
1865 Reader 19 Aug. 214 The unisonal female-voice choruses.
1898 Record 4 Nov. 1084/2 In spite of one's own loving reverence for unisonal singing.
1911 W. J. Henderson Some Forerunners Ital. Opera viii. 117 The establishment of the unisonal chant in the service of the Roman Catholic Church.
1994 Ethnomusicol. 38 46 Consistent with the acoustics of basically unisonal double-pipes.
Derivatives
uˈnisonally adv.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > harmony or sounds in combination > [adverb] > unison
in unison1603
unisonally1846
1846 Athenæum 25 July 769/3 The pianoforte is not calculated to be used in masses, or played unisonally.
1917 Musical Times 58 409/1 May I ask the question whether congregational verses of hymns should not always be sung unisonally?
2010 F. Ciabattoni Dante's Journey Introd. 6 The Psalms, all performed unisonally, offer a remedy to the sinners who must atone.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1728