“Cellar Door” (English)

In phonaesthetics, the English compound noun cellar door has been cited as an example of a word or phrase which is beautiful purely in terms of its sound (euphony), without regard for semantics (i.e., meaning). It has been variously presented either as merely one beautiful instance of many, or as the most beautiful in the English language; as the author’s personal choice, that of an eminent scholar’s, or of a foreigner who does not speak the language. The original instance of this observation has not been discovered, although it was made as early as 1903.