Our English noun cacophony, meaning "a harsh or jarring sound," is made up of two Greek words: kakós (κακός), meaning "bad, ugly," and phōnê (φωνή), meaning "sound, voice." Given the broad range of potentially "bad" or "ugly" sounds, the word cacophony can describe any number of "harsh sounds," from the clashing of metal to the sound of hundreds of chickens.
Friday, December 22, 2023