consonancy

English

Etymology

From Latin cōnsonantia. Doublet of consonance.

Noun

consonancy (countable and uncountable, plural consonancies)

1. (obsolete) Congruity; consistency.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     But let me conjure you, by the rights of our fellowship, by the consonancy of our youth, by the obligation of our ever-preserved love, and by what more dear a better proposer can charge you withal, be even and direct with me whether you were sent for or no.

   • 1654, H[enry] Hammond, “Of Christ’s Dying for None but the Elect”, in Of Fundamentals in a Notion Referring to Practise, London: […] J[ames] Flesher for Richard Royston, […], →OCLC, §. 7, page 135:

     All w^ch I have thus largely ſet down to ſhew the perfect conſonancie of our perſecuted Church to the doctrine of Scripture and Antiquity in this point, whereon ſo much depends for the ſtating & determining other differences, which have alſo a ſpecial influence on practiſe.

   • 1713, [Matthew Hale], “Touching Trials by Jury”, in The History of the Common Law of England: […], [London]: […] J[ohn] Nutt, assignee of Edw[ard] Sayer Esq; for J. Walthoe, […], →OCLC, pages 255–256:

     [Justices] daily in Term-time Converſe and Conſult with one another; […] and by this Means their Judgments and their Adminiſtrations of Common Juſtice carry a Conſonancy, Congruity, and Uniformity one to another, whereby both the Laws and the Adminiſtrations thereof are preſerved from that Confuſion and Diſparity that would unavoidably enſue, if the Adminiſtration was by ſeveral incommunicating Hands, or by provincial Eſtabliſhments: […]