tintinnabulation: M-W's Word of the Day

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The Word of the Day for October 14 is:

tintinnabulation \tin-tuh-nab-yuh-LAY-shun\ noun
1 : the ringing or sounding of bells
*2 : a jingling or tinkling sound as if of bells

Example sentence:
The best man's toast to the bride and groom ended with the customary tintinnabulation of a hundred clinking champagne glasses.

Did you know?
If "tintinnabulation" rings a bell, that may be because it traces to a Latin interpretation of the sound a ringing bell makes. Our English word derives from "tintinnabulum," the Latin word for "bell." That Latin word, in turn, comes from the verb "tintinnare," which means "to ring, clang, or jingle." Like the English terms "ting" and "tinkle," "tintinnare" originated with a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it -- that is, it is onomatopoeic. Edgar Allan Poe celebrates the sonic overtones of "tintinnabulation" in his poem "The Bells," which includes lines about "the tintinnabulation that so musically wells / From the bells, bells, bells, bells, / Bells, bells, bells -- / From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

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