Audition is a noun that can refer to the power or sense of hearing, the act of hearing, or a trial performance for an entertainer. The term is derived from the Latin 'audire' (to hear) and began to be used for theatrical tryouts in the late 19th century.
Audition es un sustantivo que puede referirse al poder o sentido del oído, el acto de oír, o una actuación de prueba para un artista. El término deriva del latín "audire" (oír) y comenzó a usarse para las audiciones teatrales a finales del siglo XIX.
| Word | audition |
|---|---|
| Date | December 20, 2007 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | aw-DISH-un |
| Etymology | Today, "audition" most often refers to a theatrical tryout, but that wasn't always the case. "Audition" is rooted in the Latin verb "audire," meaning "to hear," and was first used in the late 16th century to refer to the power or sense of hearing. "Audire" is also the root of such "hearing" words in English as "audible," "audience" (which first meant "the act or state of hearing"), and the prefix "audio-," which appears in various words relating to sound. It wasn't until late 19th century that the noun "audition" began being used for an entertainer's trial performance. And the verb "audition," meaning "to test or try out in an audition," didn't appear on the English language stage until the mid-20th century. *Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence. |
| Examples | The theater company is holding auditions today for the role of the play's central character. |
| Definition | 1 : the power or sense of hearing 2 : the act of hearing; especially : a critical hearing 3 : a trial performance to appraise an entertainer's merits |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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