Concordance

Part of Speech

Noun

Pronunciation

IPA: /kənˈkɔː.dəns/ (British), /kənˈkɔːr.dəns/ (American)

Definitions

• A state of agreement or harmony between people or things.
• An alphabetical index of words used in a text, usually with references to their occurrences.

Usage Examples

• The two nations reached a concordance on trade regulations.
• The researcher used a concordance to find all occurrences of the word in the book.

Etymology

Derived from Latin concordantia, meaning "agreement" or "harmony," from concordare, meaning "to agree."

Synonyms

• Agreement
• Harmony
• Consistency
• Index
• Lexicon

Antonyms

• Disagreement
• Discord
• Conflict

Translations

Regional Pronunciation Variations

• American English: /kənˈkɔːr.dəns/
• British English: /kənˈkɔː.dəns/
• Australian English: /kənˈkɔː.dəns/

Historical Usage

The term has been used since the 14th century in reference to agreements and since the 16th century for textual indexes. Biblical concordances have been widely used in religious studies.

Cultural Nuances

In legal and diplomatic contexts, concordance refers to formal agreements between parties. In literature, it is crucial for textual analysis and linguistic studies.

More Information

Concordances have played a significant role in academic research, especially in the study of religious texts. Modern computational linguistics relies on concordance software for textual analysis.