Word of the Day Archive
Thursday September 18, 2008

tintinnabulation \tin-tih-nab-yuh-LAY-shuhn\ , noun:
A tinkling sound, as of a bell or bells.

One found oneself immersed in the infinitely nuanced tintinnabulations of clapping cymbal rhythms passed from one player to the next, in the barely audible, rain-like patter of drums that suddenly grew into an overwhelming mechanical onslaught.
-- Tim Page, "From Japan, The Thundering Drums of Kodo", Newsday, February 24, 1995

Tintinnabulation derives from Latin tintinnabulum "a bell," from tintinnare from tinnire, "to jingle."

Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for tintinnabulation

 

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