Todays Word

 

amusia

PRONUNCIATION:

(ay-MYOO-zee-uh) 

MEANING:

noun: The inability to recognize, reproduce, or appreciate music.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek a- (not) + mousike (music), from Mousa (Muse). Earliest documented use: 1890.

NOTES:

Hear this fascinating description (video, 4 min.) of amusia by Oliver Sacks, author of Musicophilia.

USAGE:

“The woman (who eventually decided she had amusia) had spent her life attending concerts out of politeness.”
Christopher Borrelli; Don’t Like Music? You Are Not Alone; Chicago Tribune; (Chicago, Illinois); Aug 3, 2014.