twang means the sharp, quick sound of a vibrating tight string, for example, of a bow or a musical instrument. It carries an Arena rating of 1706, earned across 10 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, twang ranks #78 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #488 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #896 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #1,204 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
twang is pronounced /ˈtwæŋ/.
Why “twang” is a great word
A sharp, quick, vibrating sound, often metallic or nasal in quality. Onomatopoeic, imitating the sound itself; first recorded in English in the 1550s. Unlike a "resonance," which implies a rich, full, and sustained vibration, or a "drawl," a languid stretching of vowels, a twang is a brief, percussive report or a tightening, nasal constriction. It is the startling *ping* of a snapped banjo string, the brassy complaint of a screen door spring, or the unmistakable, pinched vowel in a country singer’s lyric—sound reduced to its most taut and trembling essence, a note held taut between impulse and release.
Etymology
Onomatopoeic. Compare Middle English twengen (“to pinch, tweak”) (whence modern English twinge), from Old English twenġan (“to pinch, twinge”); Middle English twingen (“to afflict, torment, oppress”), from Old Norse þvinga (“to weigh down, oppress”); Old English twingan (“to force, press”).
noun
- The sharp, quick sound of a vibrating tight string, for example, of a bow or a musical instrument.
- A particular sharp vibrating sound characteristic of electric guitars.
- A trace of a regional or foreign accent in someone's voice.e.g.“Despite having lived in Canada for 20 years, he still has that Eastern European twang in his voice.”
- The sound quality that appears in the human voice when the epilaryngeal tube is narrowed.e.g.“Near-synonym: nasality”
- A sharp, pungent taste or flavor; sometimes, a disagreeable one specifically.e.g.“spicy twang”
- An annoying or stupid person; especially, a recalcitrant.
verb
- To produce or cause to produce a sharp vibrating sound, like a tense string pulled and suddenly let go.
- To have a nasal sound.
- To have a trace of a regional or foreign accent.
- To play a stringed musical instrument by plucking and snapping.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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