symphonia means concord in Ancient Greek music. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “symphonia” is a great word
SYMPHONIA — [Noun] A concord or harmonious combination of sounds, historically applied to a principle in ancient music and to specific early instruments like the bagpipe or virginal. From Ancient Greek σῠμφωνῐ́ᾱ (sŭmphōnĭ́ā), from σύν (sún, "together") and φωνή (phōnḗ, "sound, voice"), meaning "agreement of sound"; first attested in English in the late 16th century. Unlike "symphony," which denotes a grand, structured orchestral work, or "cacophony," its jarring, antonymic opposite, symphonia is the foundational principle of consonance itself. It is the breathy drone of a shepherd's pipe, the plucked and precise unison of virginals in a still chamber, the resonant hum of a struck bowl before its note fades—the quiet, physical fact of agreement preceding all art.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek σῠμφωνῐ́ᾱ (sŭmphōnĭ́ā). Doublet of sinfonia, symphony, tsampouna, and zampogna. By surface analysis, sym- + -phonia.
noun
- Concord in Ancient Greek music.
- The bagpipe.
- The virginal.