unison

From Middle English unisoun, from Middle French unisson, from Medieval Latin ūnisonus (“having the same sound”), from ūni- +‎ sonus (“sound”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈjunɪsən/, /ˈjunɪzən/

• Audio (Southern England)

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unison (usually uncountable, plural unisons)

1. (music, acoustics) Identical pitch between two notes or sounds; the simultaneous playing of notes of identical pitch (or separated by one or more octaves). [from 15th c.]

   The unison has a pitch ratio of 1:1.

   • 2007 July 16, James R. Oestreich, “With Levine as Tour Guide, a Journey Through Mahler’s Third Symphony”, in New York Times‎:

     The young principal timpanist, Timothy Genis, was superb throughout, though his sidekick timpanist sometimes lagged in the final unisons.

2. (music, acoustics) A sound or note having the same pitch as another, especially when used as the base note for an interval; a unison string. [from 15th c.]
   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:

     I could not behold him without emotion; when he accosted me, his well-known voice made my heart vibrate, like a musical chord, when its unison is struck.

3. The state of being in harmony or agreement; harmonious agreement or togetherness, synchronisation. [from 17th c.]

   Everyone moved in unison, but the sudden change in weight distribution capsized the boat.

4. (by extension) Two or more voices speaking or singing the same words together.

• (in music): P1

• unison on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Unions, nonius, unions

Borrowed from Russian унисон (unison).

• Hyphenation: u‧ni‧son

unison

1. unison

• “unison”, in Luğatçıq (in Russian)

Borrowed from French unisson, from Latin unisonus.

unison n (uncountable)

1. unison

unison (not comparable)

1. in unison (of song)

   unison sång

   sing-along

• unions