Meanings
comparative more altisonant · superlative most altisonant
- archaicHigh-sounding; lofty or pompous.
altisonant language
1 more example
He ſpent foure dayes deuiſing him a name: for (as he reaſoned to himſelfe) it was not fit that ſo famous a Knights horſe, and chiefly being ſo good a beaſt, ſhould want a knowne name; and therefore he endeuoured to giue him ſuch a one, as ſhould both declare what ſometime he had been, before he pertayned to a Knight errant, and alſo what preſently he was: for it ſtood greatly with reaſon, ſeeing his Lord and Maſter changed his eſtate and vocation, that he ſhould alter likewiſe his denomination, and get a new one, that were famous and altiſonant, as becommed the new order and exerciſe which he now profeſſed: […]
1612, [Miguel de Cervantes], translated by Thomas Shelton, The History of the Valorous and Wittie Knight-errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha. […], London: […] William Stansby, for Ed[ward] Blount and W. Barret, →OCLC, page 6
Origin
From Latin altus (“high”) + sonans, present participle of sonare (“to sound”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Portuguese altissonante, altíssono
- altissonanteof speech: lofty or pompous
- altíssonoof speech: lofty or pompous
Cite this entry
altisonant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altisonant
“altisonant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altisonant. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “altisonant,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/altisonant.
Source: altisonant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.