discord

Etymology

Circa 1230, Middle English descorde, discorde; from Anglo-Norman, Old French descort (derivative of descorder), descorde (“disagreement”); from Latin discordia, from discord-, discors (“disagreeing, disagreement”), from dis- (“apart”) + cor, cordis, cord-, cors (“heart”)

Verb derives from Middle English discorden, from Anglo-Norman, Old French descorder, from Latin discordāre, from discord-, as above.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪskɔɹd/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪskɔːd/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

discord (countable and uncountable, plural discords)

1. Lack of concord, agreement or harmony.
   • Bible, Proverbs vi. 19

     A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

   • Burke

     Peace to arise out of universal discord fomented in all parts of the empire.

2. Tension or strife resulting from a lack of agreement; dissension.
3. (music) An inharmonious combination of simultaneously sounded tones; a dissonance.
4. Any harsh noise, or confused mingling of sounds.
   • Francis Bacon

     For a discord itself is but a harshness of divers sounds meeting.

Pronunciation 2

• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈkɔɹd/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪsˈkɔːd/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)d

Verb

discord (third-person singular simple present discords, present participle discording, simple past and past participle discorded)

1. (intransitive, archaic) To disagree; to fail to agree or harmonize; clash.
   • Francis Bacon

     the one discording with the other