diapason
noun
Mindy Aloff
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 pasōn, 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 hē dia pasōn chordōn symphōnia 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.
Synonyms
- gamut
- range
- scale
- spectrum
- spread
- stretch
Example Sentences
Word History
Middle English, from Latin, from Greek (hē) dia pasōn (chordōn symphōnia), literally, the concord through all the notes, from dia through + pasōn, genitive feminine plural of pas all — more at dia-, pan-
circa 1501, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
diapasons
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- ranges
- scales
- spectrums
- spectra
- widths
- dimensions
- amplitudes
- stretches
- pitches
- measures
- gamuts
- spreads
- scopes
- realms
- ambits
- sweeps
- reaches
- compasses
- extents
- two-sided
- two-speed
- two-spined stickleback
- two-spot
- two-spotted ladybird
- two-spotted spider mite
- two-star
- two-step
- two-storied
- two-story
- two-striped grasshopper
- two-striper
- two-stroke cycle
- two-suiter
- two-tail
- two-tailed
- two-thirder
- two-thirds rule
- two-thirds vote
- two-three
- two-throw
- two-time
- two-timed
- two-timer
- two-times