audiation means the comprehension and internal realization of music by an individual in the absence of any physical sound. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
audiation is pronounced /ɔːdɪˈeɪʃən/.
Why “audiation” is a great word
AUDIATION — [Noun] The cognitive act of hearing, comprehending, and giving meaning to music entirely within one's mind, with no external sound present. From Latin audio ("I hear") + -ation (noun-forming suffix), coined in 1976 by American music researcher and educator Edwin E. Gordon. Unlike "visualization" (which conjures pictures in the mind's eye) or "auditory imagery" (a broad term for any mental sound), audiation is the active, structured process of musical thought. It is the composer hearing a full symphony in the silence of a midnight study, the conductor anticipating the horn's entrance in a silent score, or the solitary listener replaying a sonata in perfect detail on a quiet walk—the private, inaudible proof that music exists first, and always, in the mind.
noun
- The comprehension and internal realization of music by an individual in the absence of any physical sound.“Audiation takes place when one hears music through recall or creation (the sound not being physically present) and infers musical meaning as compared to aural perception where one listens to music actually being performed.”