assonance
nounAU, US, NZ, UK /ˈæsənəns/ · NZ /ˈɛsɘnɘns/
Etymology From French assonance, from Latin assonāre; by surface analysis, a- + son- + -ance.
1
Human sciences, Linguistics, Phonology, Prosody, Sciences The repetition of similar or identical vowel sounds (though with different consonants), usually in literature or poetry.
- "You should try to speak without assonances" said Merlyn. "For instance, 'The beer is never clear round here, dear' is unfortunate, even as an assonance.'"1938, T.H. White, chapter 12, in The Sword in the Stone, Collins:
- Related terms
- assonant, dissonance