son·o·rous
(sŏńər-əs, sə-nôŕ-, -nōŕ-)
[From Latin sonōrus, from sonor, sound, from sonāre, to sound.]
adjective
- Having or producing sound.
- Having or producing a full, deep, or rich sound.
- Impressive in style of speech: a sonorous oration.
- Produced in the manner of a sonorant.
derivatives
- sońo·rous·ly
- adverb
- sońo·rous·ness
- noun
usage note
Usage Note: The older pronunciation of sonorous has stress on the second syllable. As a recent survey indicates, however, the variant pronunciation with stress on the first syllable is now much more common in American English. In this survey, 84 percent of the Usage Panel gave (sŏńər-əs) as their pronunciation, and only 16 percent gave (sə-nôŕəs) or (sə-nōŕəs). Two linguists on the Panel noted that whereas they stress the first syllable, they pronounce it with a long (o), as (sṓnər-əs).
