Origin of the word sound

English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• soune, sownd, sowne (obsolete)

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /saʊnd/
• Rhymes: -aʊnd

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund, ġesund (“sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous”), from Proto-West Germanic *sund, from Proto-Germanic *gasundaz, *sundaz (“healthy”), from Proto-Indo-European *sunt-, *swent- (“vigorous, active, healthy”).

Cognate with Scots sound, soun (“healthy, sound”), Saterland Frisian suund, gesuund (“healthy”), West Frisian sûn (“healthy”), Dutch gezond (“healthy, sound”), Low German sund, gesund (“healthy”), German gesund (“healthy, sound”), Danish sund (“healthy”), Swedish sund (“sound, healthy”). Related also to Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick”), German geschwind (“fast, quick”), Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”). See swith.

Adjective[edit]

sound (comparative sounder, superlative soundest)

1. Healthy.

   He was safe and sound.

   In horse management a sound horse is one with no health problems that might affect its suitability for its intended work.

   • 1842 May 30, “Roscorla v. Thomas”, in Montagu[e] Chambers, editor, The Law Journal Reports for the Year 1842, volume XX (New Series – volume XI, part II), London: E. B. Ince, 5 Quality Court, Chancery Lane, →OCLC, pages 214–215:

     on the 29th of September 1840, in consideration that the plaintiff, at the request of the defendant, had bought of the defendant a certain horse, at a certain price, to wit, 30l., the defendant promised plaintiff that the horse did not exceed five years off, and that it was sound in wind and limb, perfect in vision, and free from vice; […]

2. Complete, solid, or secure.

   Fred assured me the floorboards were sound.

   • 1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615, →OCLC; republished in The Odysseys of Homer, […], volume (please specify the book number), London: John Russell Smith, […], 1857, →OCLC:

     The brasswork here, how rich it is in beams,
     And how, besides, it makes the whole house sound.

   • 2021 November 17, Andrew Mourant, “Okehampton: a new dawn for Dartmoor”, in Rail, number 944, page 43:

     Refurbishing Okehampton station, kept basically sound under ownership by Devon Council, remains a work in progress and scheduled for completion next spring.

3. (mathematics, logic) Having the property of soundness.

   Hypernym: valid

   • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page vii:

     With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get […]

4. (Britain, Ireland, slang) Good; acceptable; decent.

   How are you? —I’m sound.

   That’s a sound track you’re playing.

   See that man over there? He’s sound. You should get to know him.

5. (of sleep) Quiet and deep.

   Sound asleep means sleeping peacefully, and often deeply.

   Her sleep was sound.

6. Heavy; laid on with force.

   a sound beating

7. Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective.

   a sound title to land

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Adverb[edit]

sound (comparative more sound, superlative most sound)

1. Soundly.

Interjection[edit]

sound

1. (Britain, Ireland, slang) Yes; used to show agreement or understanding, generally without much enthusiasm.

   I found my jacket. — Sound.

Etymology 2[edit]

• Noun: from Middle English sownde, alteration of soun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sun, soun, Old French son, from accusative of Latin sonus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- (“to sound, resound”).
• Verb: from Middle English sownden, sounen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman suner, sounder, Old French soner (modern sonner), from Latin sonō.
• The hypercorrect -d appears in the fifteenth century. (Compare dialectal drownd, gownd for the same development.)

Displaced native Middle English swei, from Old English swēġ, from Proto-Germanic *swōgiz.

Noun[edit]

sound (countable and uncountable, plural sounds)

1. A sensation perceived by the ear caused by the vibration of air or some other medium.

   He turned when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.  Nobody made a sound.
2. A vibration capable of causing such sensations.

   • 1820, Encyclopaedia Britannica; Or A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Miscellaneous Literature‎^[1], volume 20, 6th edition, Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Company, page 501:

     In trumpets for assisting the hearing, all reverbation of the trumpet must be avoided. It must be made thick, of the least elastic materials, and covered with cloth externally. For all reverbation lasts for a short time, and produces new sounds which mix with those which are coming in.

   • 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., →OCLC, page 01:

     It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. […]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.

3. (music) A distinctive style and sonority of a particular musician, orchestra, &.
   • 1954, Valentine Davies & al., The Glenn Miller Story:

     He looks like he’s got it, maybe. Listen to those kids!
     There’s no maybe about it. That’s it, that’s the sound.

4. Noise without meaning; empty noise.

   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], “Of Power”, in An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC, book I, § 18, page 23:

     For let us conſider this Prepoſition as to its meaning, (for it is the ſence, and not ſound, that is and muſt be the Principle or common Notion) […]

5. Earshot, distance within which a certain noise may be heard.

   Stay within the sound of my voice.

6. (phonetics) A segment as a part of spoken language, the smallest unit of spoken language, a speech sound.

Synonyms[edit]

• See also Thesaurus:sound

Descendants[edit]

• → German: Sound
• → Japanese: サウンド (saundo)
• → Swedish: sound

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

• audible

Verb[edit]

sound (third-person singular simple present sounds, present participle sounding, simple past and past participle sounded)

1. (intransitive) To produce a sound.

   When the horn sounds, take cover.

2. (copulative) To convey an impression by one’s sound.

   He sounded good when we last spoke.

   That story sounds like a pack of lies!

   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:

     How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues!

3. (intransitive) To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound.

   • 1560, [William Whittingham et al., transl.], The Bible and Holy Scriptures Conteyned in the Olde and Newe Testament. […] (the Geneva Bible), Geneva: […] Rouland Hall, →OCLC, I. Thessalonians I:8, folio 95, recto:

     For from you ſounded out the worde of the Lord, not in Macedonia & in Achaia onely: but your faith alſo which is towarde God, ſpred abroade in all quarters, that we nede not to ſpeake any thing.

4. (intransitive, obsolete) To resound.
5. (intransitive, law, often with in) To arise or to be recognizable as arising in or from a particular area of law, or as likely to result in a particular kind of legal remedy.

   • 1999, Supreme Court of the United States, City of Monterey v. Del Monte Dunes at Montery, Ltd. et al.‎^[2]:

     […] there can be no doubt that claims brought pursuant to § 1983 sound in tort.

   In my opinion this claim sounds in damages rather than in an injunction.

6. (transitive) To cause to produce a sound.

   Sound the alarm!

   He sounds the instrument.

7. (transitive, phonetics, of a vowel or consonant) To pronounce.

   The «e» in «house» isn’t sounded.

Synonyms[edit]

• (to make noise): echo, reecho, resonate
• See also Thesaurus:sound

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

From Middle English sound, sund, from Old English sund (“the power, capacity, or act of swimming; swimming; sea; ocean; water; sound; strait; channel”), from Proto-Germanic *sundą (“swimming; sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *swem- (“swimming; sea”).

Cognate with Dutch zond (“sound; strait”), Danish sund (“sound; strait; channel”), Swedish sund (“sound; strait; channel”), Icelandic sund (“sound; strait; channel”). Related to swim.

Noun[edit]

sound (plural sounds)

1. (geography) A long narrow inlet, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean.

   • The Sound of Denmarke, where ships pay toll.

2. The air bladder of a fish.

   Cod sounds are an esteemed article of food.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Etymology 4[edit]

From Middle English sounden, from Old French sonder, from sonde (“sounding line”) of Germanic origin, compare Old English sundgyrd (“a sounding rod”), sundline (“a sounding line”), Old English sund (“water, sea”). More at Etymology 3 above.

Verb[edit]

sound (third-person singular simple present sounds, present participle sounding, simple past and past participle sounded)

1. (intransitive) Dive downwards, used of a whale.

   The whale sounded and eight hundred feet of heavy line streaked out of the line tub before he ended his dive.

2. To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe.

   When I sounded him, he appeared to favor the proposed deal.

   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 23, column 1:

     Tell me moreouer, haſt thou ſounded him,
     If he appeale the Duke on ancient malice,
     Or worthily as a good ſubiect ſhould
     On ſome knowne ground of treacherie in him.

   • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 1:

     I’ve sounded my Numidians man by man.

3. Test; ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device.

   Mariners on sailing ships would sound the depth of the water with a weighted rope.

   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii:

     As when the Sea-man […]
     All fearefull foldes his ſailes, and ſounds the maine,
     Lifting his prayers to the heauens for aid,
     Againſt the terrour of the winds and waues.

4. (medicine) To examine with the instrument called a sound or sonde, or by auscultation or percussion.

   to sound a patient, or the bladder or urethra

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

sound (plural sounds)

1. A long, thin probe for sounding or dilating body cavities or canals such as the urethra; a sonde.

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

• sound at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “sound”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams[edit]

• nodus, udons, undos

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English sound.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈsawnd/^[1]
• Rhymes: -awnd

Noun[edit]

sound m (invariable)

1. (music) sound (distinctive style and sonority)

References[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

• snudo, snudò

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English sound. Attested since 1954.

Noun[edit]

sound n

1. (music) a sound (distinctive style)

   Gruppen har ett unikt sound

   The band has a unique sound

Declension[edit]

Declension of sound
	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	sound	soundet	sound	sounden
Genitive	sounds	soundets	sounds	soundens

References[edit]

• sound in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• sound in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• sound in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

See Also: soul food soul kiss soul mate soul music soul sister soul-destroying soul-searching soulful soulless Soult Sound sound Sound and the Fury, The sound barrier sound bite sound block sound bow sound camera sound effect sound film sound head Recent searches: View All

Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks. Inflections of ‘sound‘ (adj): sounder adj comparative soundest adj superlative WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 sound1 /saʊnd/USA pronunciation   n.  the sensation produced by vibrations that stimulate the nerves of the ear and can be heard:[uncountable]Sound travels at speeds slower than light. the particular effect produced by a certain source on one’s hearing:[countable]the sound of fire engines. a noise, a word or part of a word produced by the voice, a musical tone, etc.:[countable]had trouble pronouncing the ö and ä sounds in Swedish. Music, Music and Dance a musical style characteristic of a certain group of performers:[countable]the Motown sound. the quality of an event, letter, etc., as it affects a person:[countable* usually singular;usually: the + ~ + of + object]I don’t like the sound of that report. the distance within which something can be heard:[countable]dozens of people within the sound of his voice. meaningless noise:[uncountable]all sound and fury. v. to (cause to) give off sound: [~ + object]Sound the alarm.[no object]The alarm sounded. to give a certain impression when heard or read:[not: be + ~-ing* ~ + adjective/like/as if/as though]His voice sounded strange. The engine backfire sounded like a gunshot. That procedure sounds as if it will work. to give forth (a sound):[~ + object]The oboe sounded an A. to order by a sound:[~ + object]The bugle sounded retreat. sound off, [Informal.][no object] to call out one’s name, as at a roll call. to call out the rhythm as one marches in formation. to speak frankly, indiscreetly, or too angrily:Quit sounding off about everything. sound out, to pronounce (a sound of a language), esp. carefully: [~ + out + object]to sound out the letters one after the other.[~ + object + out]If you don’t know the word, sound it out. sound•less, adj. See -son-. sound2 /saʊnd/USA pronunciation   adj., -er, -est, adv.  adj. Medicinefree from injury, damage, or disease; in good condition; healthy:a sound body. financially strong, secure, or reliable:a sound investment. sensible; valid:sound judgment. of solid character; upright or honorable:sound values. uninterrupted and untroubled; deep:woke up from a sound sleep. vigorous, thorough, or severe:a sound thrashing. adv. deeply; thoroughly:She was sound asleep. sound•ly, adv.: The team was soundly defeated. sound•ness, n. [uncountable] sound3 /saʊnd/USA pronunciation   v.  Nautical, Naval Terms[~ + object] to measure the depth of (water, a deep hole, etc.) by letting down a lead weight at the end of a line. to ask for an opinion from (someone), by indirect ways: [~ + object + out]Let’s sound him out about the reorganization plan.[~ + out + object]Always sound out your spouse before buying something expensive. [no object] to plunge downward or dive, such as a whale. sound•ing, n. [countable]to take a sounding. sound4 /saʊnd/USA pronunciation   n.  a narrow passage of water between larger bodies of water or between the mainland and an island: [countable]long sounds along the coast.[used as part of a proper noun]Long Island Sound. an inlet or arm of the sea: [countable]a coastline of small, enclosed sounds.[used as part of a proper noun]Puget Sound. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 sound1  (sound),USA pronunciation n. the sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of hearing by vibrations transmitted through the air or other medium. Physicsmechanical vibrations transmitted through an elastic medium, traveling in air at a speed of approximately 1087 ft. (331 m) per second at sea level. the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause:the sound of music. any auditory effect; any audible vibrational disturbance:all kinds of sounds. a noise, vocal utterance, musical tone, or the like:the sounds from the next room. Music, Music and Dancea distinctive, characteristic, or recognizable musical style, as from a particular performer, orchestra, or type of arrangement:the big-band sound. Phonetics See speech sound.  the audible result of an utterance or portion of an utterance:the s-sound in «slight»; the sound ofm in «mere.» Physicsthe auditory effect of sound waves as transmitted or recorded by a particular system of sound reproduction:the sound of a stereophonic recording. the quality of an event, letter, etc., as it affects a person:This report has a bad sound. the distance within which the noise of something may be heard. mere noise, without meaning:all sound and fury. [Archaic.]a report or rumor; news; tidings. v.i. to make or emit a sound. to give forth a sound as a call or summons:The bugle sounded as the troops advanced. to be heard, as a sound. to convey a certain impression when heard or read:to sound strange. to give a specific sound:to sound loud. to give the appearance of being; seem:The report sounds true. Lawto have as its basis or foundation (usually fol. by in):His action sounds in contract. v.t. to cause to make or emit a sound:to sound a bell. to give forth (a sound):The oboe sounded an A. to announce, order, or direct by or as by a sound:The bugle sounded retreat. His speech sounded a warning to aggressor nations. to utter audibly, pronounce, or express:to sound each letter. to examine by percussion or auscultation:to sound a patient’s chest. sound off, [Informal.] to call out one’s name, as at military roll call. to speak freely or frankly, esp. to complain in such a manner. to exaggerate; boast:Has he been sounding off about his golf game again? Latin sonāre, derivative of sonus Old French suner Latin sonus; (verb, verbal) Middle English sounen Anglo-French (Old French son) (noun, nominal) Middle English soun 1250–1300 sound′a•ble, adj.  1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged Sound, noise, tone refer to something heard. Sound and noise are often used interchangeably for anything perceived by means of hearing. Sound, however, is more general in application, being used for anything within earshot:the sound of running water.Noise, caused by irregular vibrations, is more properly applied to a loud, discordant, or unpleasant sound:the noise of shouting.Tone is applied to a musical sound having a certain quality, resonance, and pitch. sound2  (sound),USA pronunciation adj., -er, -est, adv.  adj. Medicinefree from injury, damage, defect, disease, etc.; in good condition; healthy; robust:a sound heart; a sound mind. financially strong, secure, or reliable:a sound business; sound investments. competent, sensible, or valid:sound judgment. having no defect as to truth, justice, wisdom, or reason:sound advice. of substantial or enduring character:sound moral values. following in a systematic pattern without any apparent defect in logic:sound reasoning. uninterrupted and untroubled; deep:sound sleep. vigorous, thorough, or severe:a sound thrashing. free from moral defect or weakness; upright, honest, or good; honorable; loyal. Lawhaving no legal defect:a sound title to property. Religiontheologically correct or orthodox, as doctrines or a theologian. adv.  deeply; thoroughly:sound asleep. 1150–1200; Middle English sund, Old English gesund (see y-); cognate with Dutch gezond, German gesund sound′ly, adv.  sound′ness, n.  1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged unharmed, whole, hale, unbroken, hardy. 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged solvent. 4, 6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged valid, rational, logical. sound3  (sound),USA pronunciation v.t. Nautical, Naval Termsto measure or try the depth of (water, a deep hole, etc.) by letting down a lead or plummet at the end of a line, or by some equivalent means. Nautical, Naval Termsto measure (depth) in such a manner, as at sea. Nautical, Naval Termsto examine or test (the bottom, as of the sea or a deep hole) with a lead that brings up adhering bits of matter. to examine or investigate; seek to fathom or ascertain:to sound a person’s views. to seek to elicit the views or sentiments of (a person) by indirect inquiries, suggestive allusions, etc. (often fol. by out):Why not sound him out about working for us? Surgeryto examine, as the urinary bladder, with a sound. v.i. Nautical, Naval Termsto use the lead and line or some other device for measuring depth, as at sea. Nautical, Naval Termsto go down or touch bottom, as a lead. to plunge downward or dive, as a whale. to make investigation; seek information, esp. by indirect inquiries. n. Surgerya long, slender instrument for sounding or exploring body cavities or canals. ? Old French sonder to plumb, derivative of sonde sounding line Middle English sounden 1300–50 sound′a•ble, adj.  sound4  (sound),USA pronunciation n. a relatively narrow passage of water between larger bodies of water or between the mainland and an island:Long Island Sound. an inlet, arm, or recessed portion of the sea:Puget Sound. the air bladder of a fish. bef. 900; Middle English; Old English sund act of swimming; akin to swim Sound  (sound),USA pronunciation n. Place Names The, a strait between SW Sweden and Zealand, connecting the Kattegat and the Baltic. 87 mi. (140 km) long; 3–30 mi. (5–48 km) wide. Swedish and Danish, Oresund.  Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: sound /saʊnd/ n a periodic disturbance in the pressure or density of a fluid or in the elastic strain of a solid, produced by a vibrating object. It has a velocity in air at sea level at 0°C of 331 metres per second (741 miles per hour) and travels as longitudinal waves (as modifier): a sound wave the sensation produced by such a periodic disturbance in the organs of hearing anything that can be heard a particular instance, quality, or type of sound: the sound of running water volume or quality of sound: a radio with poor sound the area or distance over which something can be heard: to be born within the sound of Big Ben the impression or implication of something: I don’t like the sound of that (often plural) slang music, esp rock, jazz, or pop vb to cause (something, such as an instrument) to make a sound or (of an instrument, etc) to emit a sound to announce or be announced by a sound: to sound the alarm (intransitive) (of a sound) to be heard (intransitive) to resonate with a certain quality or intensity: to sound loud (copula) to give the impression of being as specified when read, heard, etc: to sound reasonable (transitive) to pronounce distinctly or audibly: to sound one’s consonants Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French soner to make a sound, from Latin sonāre, from sonus a sound ˈsoundable adj sound /saʊnd/ adj free from damage, injury, decay, etc firm; solid; substantial: a sound basis financially safe or stable: a sound investment showing good judgment or reasoning; sensible; wise: sound advice valid, logical, or justifiable: a sound argument holding approved beliefs; ethically correct; upright; honest (of sleep) deep; peaceful; unbroken thorough; complete: a sound examination adv soundly; deeply: now archaic except when applied to sleep Etymology: Old English sund; related to Old Saxon gisund, Old High German gisunt ˈsoundly adv ˈsoundness n sound /saʊnd/ vb to measure the depth of (a well, the sea, etc) by lowering a plumb line, by sonar, etc to seek to discover (someone’s views, etc), as by questioning (intransitive) (of a whale, etc) to dive downwards swiftly and deeply to probe or explore (a bodily cavity or passage) by means of a sound to examine (a patient) by means of percussion and auscultation n an instrument for insertion into a bodily cavity or passage to dilate strictures, dislodge foreign material, etc See also sound outEtymology: 14th Century: from Old French sonder, from sonde sounding line, probably of Germanic origin; related to Old English sundgyrd sounding pole, Old Norse sund strait, sound4; see swim sound /saʊnd/ n a relatively narrow channel between two larger areas of sea or between an island and the mainland an inlet or deep bay of the sea the air bladder of a fish Etymology: Old English sund swimming, narrow sea; related to Middle Low German sunt strait; see sound³ Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: Sound /saʊnd/ n the Sound ⇒ a strait between SW Sweden and Zealand (Denmark), linking the Kattegat with the Baltic: busy shipping lane; spanned by a bridge in 2000. Length of the strait: 113 km (70 miles). Narrowest point: 5 km (3 miles) Danish name: Øresund Swedish name: Öresund ‘sound‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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This article is about audible acoustic waves. For other uses, see Sound (disambiguation).

In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the reception of such waves and their perception by the brain.^[1] Only acoustic waves that have frequencies lying between about 20 Hz and 20 kHz, the audio frequency range, elicit an auditory percept in humans. In air at atmospheric pressure, these represent sound waves with wavelengths of 17 meters (56 ft) to 1.7 centimeters (0.67 in). Sound waves above 20 kHz are known as ultrasound and are not audible to humans. Sound waves below 20 Hz are known as infrasound. Different animal species have varying hearing ranges.

Acoustics

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gasses, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound, and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician, while someone working in the field of acoustical engineering may be called an acoustical engineer.^[2] An audio engineer, on the other hand, is concerned with the recording, manipulation, mixing, and reproduction of sound.

Applications of acoustics are found in almost all aspects of modern society, subdisciplines include aeroacoustics, audio signal processing, architectural acoustics, bioacoustics, electro-acoustics, environmental noise, musical acoustics, noise control, psychoacoustics, speech, ultrasound, underwater acoustics, and vibration.^[3]

Definition

Sound is defined as «(a) Oscillation in pressure, stress, particle displacement, particle velocity, etc., propagated in a medium with internal forces (e.g., elastic or viscous), or the superposition of such propagated oscillation. (b) Auditory sensation evoked by the oscillation described in (a).»^[4] Sound can be viewed as a wave motion in air or other elastic media. In this case, sound is a stimulus. Sound can also be viewed as an excitation of the hearing mechanism that results in the perception of sound. In this case, sound is a sensation.

Physics

Sound can propagate through a medium such as air, water and solids as longitudinal waves and also as a transverse wave in solids. The sound waves are generated by a sound source, such as the vibrating diaphragm of a stereo speaker. The sound source creates vibrations in the surrounding medium. As the source continues to vibrate the medium, the vibrations propagate away from the source at the speed of sound, thus forming the sound wave. At a fixed distance from the source, the pressure, velocity, and displacement of the medium vary in time. At an instant in time, the pressure, velocity, and displacement vary in space. Note that the particles of the medium do not travel with the sound wave. This is intuitively obvious for a solid, and the same is true for liquids and gases (that is, the vibrations of particles in the gas or liquid transport the vibrations, while the average position of the particles over time does not change). During propagation, waves can be reflected, refracted, or attenuated by the medium.^[5]

The behavior of sound propagation is generally affected by three things:

• A complex relationship between the density and pressure of the medium. This relationship, affected by temperature, determines the speed of sound within the medium.
• Motion of the medium itself. If the medium is moving, this movement may increase or decrease the absolute speed of the sound wave depending on the direction of the movement. For example, sound moving through wind will have its speed of propagation increased by the speed of the wind if the sound and wind are moving in the same direction. If the sound and wind are moving in opposite directions, the speed of the sound wave will be decreased by the speed of the wind.
• The viscosity of the medium. Medium viscosity determines the rate at which sound is attenuated. For many media, such as air or water, attenuation due to viscosity is negligible.

When sound is moving through a medium that does not have constant physical properties, it may be refracted (either dispersed or focused).^[5]

The mechanical vibrations that can be interpreted as sound can travel through all forms of matter: gases, liquids, solids, and plasmas. The matter that supports the sound is called the medium. Sound cannot travel through a vacuum.^[6][7]

Waves

Sound is transmitted through gases, plasma, and liquids as longitudinal waves, also called compression waves. It requires a medium to propagate. Through solids, however, it can be transmitted as both longitudinal waves and transverse waves. Longitudinal sound waves are waves of alternating pressure deviations from the equilibrium pressure, causing local regions of compression and rarefaction, while transverse waves (in solids) are waves of alternating shear stress at right angle to the direction of propagation.

Sound waves may be viewed using parabolic mirrors and objects that produce sound.^[8]

The energy carried by an oscillating sound wave converts back and forth between the potential energy of the extra compression (in case of longitudinal waves) or lateral displacement strain (in case of transverse waves) of the matter, and the kinetic energy of the displacement velocity of particles of the medium.

Although there are many complexities relating to the transmission of sounds, at the point of reception (i.e. the ears), sound is readily dividable into two simple elements: pressure and time. These fundamental elements form the basis of all sound waves. They can be used to describe, in absolute terms, every sound we hear.

In order to understand the sound more fully, a complex wave such as the one shown in a blue background on the right of this text, is usually separated into its component parts, which are a combination of various sound wave frequencies (and noise).^[9][10][11]

Sound waves are often simplified to a description in terms of sinusoidal plane waves, which are characterized by these generic properties:

• Frequency, or its inverse, wavelength
• Amplitude, sound pressure or Intensity
• Speed of sound
• Direction

Sound that is perceptible by humans has frequencies from about 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. In air at standard temperature and pressure, the corresponding wavelengths of sound waves range from 17 m (56 ft) to 17 mm (0.67 in). Sometimes speed and direction are combined as a velocity vector; wave number and direction are combined as a wave vector.

Transverse waves, also known as shear waves, have the additional property, polarization, and are not a characteristic of sound waves.

Speed

The speed of sound depends on the medium the waves pass through, and is a fundamental property of the material. The first significant effort towards measurement of the speed of sound was made by Isaac Newton. He believed the speed of sound in a particular substance was equal to the square root of the pressure acting on it divided by its density:

This was later proven wrong and the French mathematician Laplace corrected the formula by deducing that the phenomenon of sound travelling is not isothermal, as believed by Newton, but adiabatic. He added another factor to the equation—gamma—and multiplied

by
,
thus coming up with the equation
.
Since
,
the final equation came up to be
,
which is also known as the Newton–Laplace equation. In this equation, K is the elastic bulk modulus, c is the velocity of sound, and is the density. Thus, the speed of sound is proportional to the square root of the ratio of the bulk modulus of the medium to its density.

Those physical properties and the speed of sound change with ambient conditions. For example, the speed of sound in gases depends on temperature. In 20 °C (68 °F) air at sea level, the speed of sound is approximately 343 m/s (1,230 km/h; 767 mph) using the formula v [m/s] = 331 + 0.6 T [°C]. The speed of sound is also slightly sensitive, being subject to a second-order anharmonic effect, to the sound amplitude, which means there are non-linear propagation effects, such as the production of harmonics and mixed tones not present in the original sound (see parametric array). If relativistic effects are important, the speed of sound is calculated from the relativistic Euler equations.

In fresh water the speed of sound is approximately 1,482 m/s (5,335 km/h; 3,315 mph). In steel, the speed of sound is about 5,960 m/s (21,460 km/h; 13,330 mph). Sound moves the fastest in solid atomic hydrogen at about 36,000 m/s (129,600 km/h; 80,530 mph).^[13][14]

Sound pressure level

Sound measurements
Characteristic	Symbols
Sound pressure	p, SPL,LPA
Particle velocity	v, SVL
Particle displacement	δ
Sound intensity	I, SIL
Sound power	P, SWL, LWA
Sound energy	W
Sound energy density	w
Sound exposure	E, SEL
Acoustic impedance	Z
Audio frequency	AF
Transmission loss	TL
v t e

Sound pressure is the difference, in a given medium, between average local pressure and the pressure in the sound wave. A square of this difference (i.e., a square of the deviation from the equilibrium pressure) is usually averaged over time and/or space, and a square root of this average provides a root mean square (RMS) value. For example, 1 Pa RMS sound pressure (94 dBSPL) in atmospheric air implies that the actual pressure in the sound wave oscillates between (1 atm Pa) and (1 atm Pa), that is between 101323.6 and 101326.4 Pa.
As the human ear can detect sounds with a wide range of amplitudes, sound pressure is often measured as a level on a logarithmic decibel scale. The sound pressure level (SPL) or L_p is defined as

where p is the root-mean-square sound pressure and is a reference sound pressure. Commonly used reference sound pressures, defined in the standard ANSI S1.1-1994, are 20 µPa in air and 1 µPa in water. Without a specified reference sound pressure, a value expressed in decibels cannot represent a sound pressure level.

Since the human ear does not have a flat spectral response, sound pressures are often frequency weighted so that the measured level matches perceived levels more closely. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has defined several weighting schemes. A-weighting attempts to match the response of the human ear to noise and A-weighted sound pressure levels are labeled dBA. C-weighting is used to measure peak levels.

Perception

A distinct use of the term sound from its use in physics is that in physiology and psychology, where the term refers to the subject of perception by the brain. The field of psychoacoustics is dedicated to such studies. Webster’s 1936 dictionary defined sound as: «1. The sensation of hearing, that which is heard; specif.: a. Psychophysics. Sensation due to stimulation of the auditory nerves and auditory centers of the brain, usually by vibrations transmitted in a material medium, commonly air, affecting the organ of hearing. b. Physics. Vibrational energy which occasions such a sensation. Sound is propagated by progressive longitudinal vibratory disturbances (sound waves).»^[15] This means that the correct response to the question: «if a tree falls in the forest with no one to hear it fall, does it make a sound?» is «yes», and «no», dependent on whether being answered using the physical, or the psychophysical definition, respectively.

The physical reception of sound in any hearing organism is limited to a range of frequencies. Humans normally hear sound frequencies between approximately 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz (20 kHz),^[16]: 382 The upper limit decreases with age.^[16]: 249 Sometimes sound refers to only those vibrations with frequencies that are within the hearing range for humans^[17] or sometimes it relates to a particular animal. Other species have different ranges of hearing. For example, dogs can perceive vibrations higher than 20 kHz.

As a signal perceived by one of the major senses, sound is used by many species for detecting danger, navigation, predation, and communication. Earth’s atmosphere, water, and virtually any physical phenomenon, such as fire, rain, wind, surf, or earthquake, produces (and is characterized by) its unique sounds. Many species, such as frogs, birds, marine and terrestrial mammals, have also developed special organs to produce sound. In some species, these produce song and speech. Furthermore, humans have developed culture and technology (such as music, telephone and radio) that allows them to generate, record, transmit, and broadcast sound.

Noise is a term often used to refer to an unwanted sound. In science and engineering, noise is an undesirable component that obscures a wanted signal. However, in sound perception it can often be used to identify the source of a sound and is an important component of timbre perception (see above).

Soundscape is the component of the acoustic environment that can be perceived by humans. The acoustic environment is the combination of all sounds (whether audible to humans or not) within a given area as modified by the environment and understood by people, in context of the surrounding environment.

There are, historically, six experimentally separable ways in which sound waves are analysed. They are: pitch, duration, loudness, timbre, sonic texture and spatial location.^[18] Some of these terms have a standardised definition (for instance in the ANSI Acoustical Terminology ANSI/ASA S1.1-2013). More recent approaches have also considered temporal envelope and temporal fine structure as perceptually relevant analyses.^[19][20][21]

Pitch

Pitch is perceived as how «low» or «high» a sound is and represents the cyclic, repetitive nature of the vibrations that make up sound. For simple sounds, pitch relates to the frequency of the slowest vibration in the sound (called the fundamental harmonic). In the case of complex sounds, pitch perception can vary. Sometimes individuals identify different pitches for the same sound, based on their personal experience of particular sound patterns. Selection of a particular pitch is determined by pre-conscious examination of vibrations, including their frequencies and the balance between them. Specific attention is given to recognising potential harmonics.^[22][23] Every sound is placed on a pitch continuum from low to high. For example: white noise (random noise spread evenly across all frequencies) sounds higher in pitch than pink noise (random noise spread evenly across octaves) as white noise has more high frequency content. Figure 1 shows an example of pitch recognition. During the listening process, each sound is analysed for a repeating pattern (See Figure 1: orange arrows) and the results forwarded to the auditory cortex as a single pitch of a certain height (octave) and chroma (note name).

Duration

Duration is perceived as how «long» or «short» a sound is and relates to onset and offset signals created by nerve responses to sounds. The duration of a sound usually lasts from the time the sound is first noticed until the sound is identified as having changed or ceased.^[24] Sometimes this is not directly related to the physical duration of a sound. For example; in a noisy environment, gapped sounds (sounds that stop and start) can sound as if they are continuous because the offset messages are missed owing to disruptions from noises in the same general bandwidth.^[25] This can be of great benefit in understanding distorted messages such as radio signals that suffer from interference, as (owing to this effect) the message is heard as if it was continuous. Figure 2 gives an example of duration identification. When a new sound is noticed (see Figure 2, Green arrows), a sound onset message is sent to the auditory cortex. When the repeating pattern is missed, a sound offset messages is sent.

Loudness

Loudness is perceived as how «loud» or «soft» a sound is and relates to the totalled number of auditory nerve stimulations over short cyclic time periods, most likely over the duration of theta wave cycles.^[26][27][28] This means that at short durations, a very short sound can sound softer than a longer sound even though they are presented at the same intensity level. Past around 200 ms this is no longer the case and the duration of the sound no longer affects the apparent loudness of the sound. Figure 3 gives an impression of how loudness information is summed over a period of about 200 ms before being sent to the auditory cortex. Louder signals create a greater ‘push’ on the Basilar membrane and thus stimulate more nerves, creating a stronger loudness signal. A more complex signal also creates more nerve firings and so sounds louder (for the same wave amplitude) than a simpler sound, such as a sine wave.

Timbre

Timbre is perceived as the quality of different sounds (e.g. the thud of a fallen rock, the whir of a drill, the tone of a musical instrument or the quality of a voice) and represents the pre-conscious allocation of a sonic identity to a sound (e.g. “it’s an oboe!»). This identity is based on information gained from frequency transients, noisiness, unsteadiness, perceived pitch and the spread and intensity of overtones in the sound over an extended time frame.^[9][10][11] The way a sound changes over time (see figure 4) provides most of the information for timbre identification. Even though a small section of the wave form from each instrument looks very similar (see the expanded sections indicated by the orange arrows in figure 4), differences in changes over time between the clarinet and the piano are evident in both loudness and harmonic content. Less noticeable are the different noises heard, such as air hisses for the clarinet and hammer strikes for the piano.

Texture

Sonic texture relates to the number of sound sources and the interaction between them.^[29][30] The word texture, in this context, relates to the cognitive separation of auditory objects.^[31] In music, texture is often referred to as the difference between unison, polyphony and homophony, but it can also relate (for example) to a busy cafe; a sound which might be referred to as cacophony.

Spatial location

Spatial location represents the cognitive placement of a sound in an environmental context; including the placement of a sound on both the horizontal and vertical plane, the distance from the sound source and the characteristics of the sonic environment.^[31][32] In a thick texture, it is possible to identify multiple sound sources using a combination of spatial location and timbre identification.

Frequency

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is sound waves with frequencies higher than 20,000 Hz. Ultrasound is not different from audible sound in its physical properties it just cannot be heard by humans. Ultrasound devices operate with frequencies from 20 kHz up to several gigahertz.

Medical ultrasound is commonly used for diagnostics and treatment.

Infrasound

Infrasound is sound waves with frequencies lower than 20 Hz. Although sounds of such low frequency are too low for humans to hear, whales, elephants and other animals can detect infrasound and use it to communicate. It can be used to detect volcanic eruptions and is used in some types of music.^[33]

See also

References

External links

• Eric Mack (20 May 2019). «Stanford scientists created a sound so loud it instantly boils water». CNET.
• Sounds Amazing; a KS3/4 learning resource for sound and waves (uses Flash)
• HyperPhysics: Sound and Hearing
• Introduction to the Physics of Sound
• Hearing curves and on-line hearing test
• Audio for the 21st Century Archived 2009-01-23 at the Wayback Machine
• Conversion of sound units and levels
• Sound calculations
• Audio Check: a free collection of audio tests and test tones playable on-line
• More Sounds Amazing; a sixth-form learning resource about sound waves

Princeton’s WordNetRate this definition:4.1 / 7 votes

1. soundnoun

   the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

   «the sound of rain on the roof»; «the beautiful sound of music»

2. sound, auditory sensationnoun

   the subjective sensation of hearing something

   «he strained to hear the faint sounds»

3. soundnoun

   mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium

   «falling trees make a sound in the forest even when no one is there to hear them»

4. soundnoun

   the sudden occurrence of an audible event

   «the sound awakened them»

5. audio, soundnoun

   the audible part of a transmitted signal

   «they always raise the audio for commercials»

6. phone, speech sound, soundnoun

   (phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language

7. strait, soundnoun

   a narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water

8. soundadjective

   a large ocean inlet or deep bay

   «the main body of the sound ran parallel to the coast»

9. soundadjective

   financially secure and safe

   «sound investments»; «a sound economy»

10. healthy, intelligent, levelheaded, level-headed, soundadjective

    exercising or showing good judgment

    «healthy scepticism»; «a healthy fear of rattlesnakes»; «the healthy attitude of French laws»; «healthy relations between labor and management»; «an intelligent solution»; «a sound approach to the problem»; «sound advice»; «no sound explanation for his decision»

11. soundadjective

    in good condition; free from defect or damage or decay

    «a sound timber»; «the wall is sound»; «a sound foundation»

12. good, soundadjective

    in excellent physical condition

    «good teeth»; «I still have one good leg»; «a sound mind in a sound body»

13. reasoned, sound, well-groundedadjective

    logically valid

    «a sound argument»

14. legal, sound, effectualadjective

    having legal efficacy or force

    «a sound title to the property»

15. soundadjective

    free from moral defect

    «a man of sound character»

16. heavy, profound, sound, wakelessadjective

    (of sleep) deep and complete

    «a heavy sleep»; «fell into a profound sleep»; «a sound sleeper»; «deep wakeless sleep»

17. soundverb

    thorough

    «a sound thrashing»

18. soundverb

    appear in a certain way

    «This sounds interesting»

19. sound, goverb

    make a certain noise or sound

    «She went `Mmmmm'»; «The gun went `bang'»

20. soundverb

    give off a certain sound or sounds

    «This record sounds scratchy»

21. soundverb

    announce by means of a sound

    «sound the alarm»

22. voice, sound, vocalize, vocaliseverb

    utter with vibrating vocal chords

23. soundverb

    cause to sound

    «sound the bell»; «sound a certain note»

24. fathom, soundverb

    measure the depth of (a body of water) with a sounding line

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. Soundnoun

   The strait that separates Zealand (an island of Denmark) from Scania (part of Sweden); also sometimes called by the Danish name, Øresund.

2. Etymology: sounden, from sonder, from sonde of Germanic origin, compare sundgyrd, sundline, sund. More at Etymology 3 above

Samuel Johnson’s DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Soundadjective

   Etymology: sund , Saxon.

   1. Healthy; hearty; not morbid; not diseased; not hurt.

   I am fall’n out with my more headier will,
   To take the indispos’d and sickly fit
   For the sound man.
   William Shakespeare, King Lear.

   He hath a heart as sound as a bell, and his tongue is the clapper; for what his heart thinks, his tongue speaks.
   William Shakespeare.

   He hath received him safe and sound.
   Luke xv. 27.

   We can preserve
   Unhurt our minds, and understanding sound.
   John Milton.

   The king visits all around,
   Comforts the sick, congratulates the sound;
   Honours the princely chiefs.
   Dryden.

   But Capys, and the rest of sounder mind,
   The fatal present to the flames design’d,
   Or to the deep.
   Dryden.

   When a word, which originally signifies any particular object, is attributed to several other objects, on account of some evident reference or relation to the original idea, this is peculiarly called an analogical word; so a sound or healthy pulse, a sound digestion, sound sleep, are all so called, with reference to a sound and healthy constitution; but if you speak of sound doctrine, or sound speech, this is by way of resemblance to health, and the words are metaphorical.
   Isaac Watts, Logick.

   2. Right; not erroneous.

   Whom although to know be life, and joy to make mention of his name; yet our soundest knowledge is to know that we know him not as indeed he is, neither can know him: and our safest eloquence concerning him is silence.
   Richard Hooker.

   Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that I be not ashamed.
   Psal. cxix. 80.

   The rules are sound and useful, and may serve your devotion.
   William Wake.

   3. Stout; strong; lusty.

   The men are very strong and able of body; and therefore either give sound strokes with their clubs wherewith they fight, or else shoot strong shots with their bows.
   George Abbot.

   4. Valid; not failing.

   They reserved their titles, tenures, and signiories whole and sound to themselves.
   Edmund Spenser, Ireland.

   5. Fast; hearty. It is applied to sleep.

   New wak’d from soundest sleep,
   Soft on the flow’ry herb I found me laid
   In balmy sweat.
   John Milton, Paradise Lost.

2. Soundadverb

   Soundly; heartily; completely fast.

   The messenger approaching to him spake,
   But his waste words return’d to him in vain;
   So sound he slept that nought might him awake.
   Fa. Queen.

3. Soundnoun

   A shallow sea, such as may be sounded.

   Etymology: sonde, French.

   The sound of Denmark, where ships pay toll.
   William Camden.

   Wake,
   Behold I come, sent from the Stygian sound,
   As a dire vapour that had cleft the ground,
   T’ ingender with the night, and blast the day.
   Ben Jonson.

   Him young Thoosa bore, the bright increase
   Of Phorcys, dreaded in the sounds and seas.
   Alexander Pope.

4. Soundnoun

   A probe, an instrument used by chirurgeons to feel what is out of reach of the fingers.

   Etymology: sonde, French.

   The patient being laid on a table, pass the sound till it meet with some resistance.
   Samuel Sharp, Surgery.

5. Soundnoun

   The cuttle-fish. Robert Ainsworth

6. Soundnoun

   Etymology: son, French; sonus, Latin.

   1. Any thing audible; a noise; that which is perceived by the ear.

   Heaps of huge words uphoarded hideously
   With horrid sound, though having little sense,
   And thereby wanting due intelligence,
   Have marred the face of goodly poesy,
   And made a monster of their fantasy.
   Edmund Spenser.

   Come, sisters, cheer we up his sprights,
   And shew the best of our delights;
   I’ll charm the air to give a sound,
   While you perform your antick round.
   William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   Dash a stone against a stone in the bottom of the water, and it maketh a sound: so a long pole struck upon gravel in the bottom of the water, maketh a sound.
   Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist.

   The warlike sound of trumpets loud.
   John Milton.

   Whene’er he spoke his voice was heard around,
   Loud as a trumpet with a silver sound.
   Dryden.

   That which is conveyed into the brain by the ear is called sound; though, ’till it affect the perceptive part, it be nothing but motion.
   John Locke.

   2. Mere empty noise opposed to meaning.

   He contented himself with doubtful and general terms, which might make no ill sound in mens ears.
   John Locke.

   Let us consider this proposition as to its meaning; for it is the sense and not sound that must be the principle.
   John Locke.

7. To Soundverb

   1. To cause to make a noise; to play on.

   And many nymphs about them flocking round,
   And many tritons, which their horns did sound.
   Edmund Spenser.

   Michael bid sound
   Th’ archangel trumpet.
   John Milton.

   Misenus lay; none so renown’d
   The warrior trumpet in the field to sound;
   With breathing brass to kindle fierce alarms,
   And rouze to dare their fate in honourable arms.
   Dryden.

   2. To betoken or direct by a sound.

   Once Jove from Ida did both hosts survey,
   And, when he pleas’d to thunder, part the fray;
   Here heav’n in vain that kind retreat should sound,
   The louder cannon had the thunder drown’d.
   Edmund Waller.

   3. To celebrate by sound.

   Sun, sound his praise.
   John Milton.

8. To Soundverb

   1. To search with a plummet; to try depth.

   In this secret there is a gulf, which while we live we shall never sound.
   Richard Hooker.

   You are, Hastings, much too shallow
   To sound the bottom of the after-times.
   William Shakespeare, Hen. IV.

   2. To try; to examine.

   Has he never before sounded you in this business.
   William Shakespeare.

   Invites these lords, and those he meant to sound.
   Daniel.

   I was in jest,
   And by that offer meant to sound your breast.
   Dryden.

   I’ve sounded my Numidians, man by man,
   And find ’em ripe for a revolt.
   Joseph Addison, Cato.

9. To Soundverb

   To try with the sounding line.

   The shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country and sounded and found it near twenty fathoms.
   Acts xxvii.

   Beyond this we have no more a positive distinct notion of, infinite space than a mariner has of the depth of the sea, where having let down a large portion of his sounding-line, he reaches no bottom.
   John Locke.

10. To Soundverb

    To make a noise; to emit a noise.

    From you sounded out the word of the Lord.
    1 Thes. i. 8.

    Trumpet once more to sound at general doom.
    John Milton.

    That with one blast through the whole house does bound,
    And first taught speaking trumpets how to sound.
    Dryden.

    Thither the silver sounding lyres
    Shall call the smiling loves and young desires.
    Alexander Pope.

    2. To exhibit by likeness of sound.

    Why do you start, and seem to fear
    Things that do sound so fair?
    William Shakespeare.

    They being told there was small hope of ease
    To be expected to their evils from hence,
    Were willing at the first to give an ear
    To any thing that sounded liberty.
    Ben Jonson, Catiline.

    This relation sounds rather like a chymical dream than a philosophical truth.
    John Wilkins, Math. Magic.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sound

   In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
   In human physiology and psychology, sound is the reception of such waves and their perception by the brain. Only acoustic waves that have frequencies lying between about 20 Hz and 20 kHz, the audio frequency range, elicit an auditory percept in humans. In air at atmospheric pressure, these represent sound waves with wavelengths of 17 meters (56 ft) to 1.7 centimeters (0.67 in). Sound waves above 20 kHz are known as ultrasound and are not audible to humans. Sound waves below 20 Hz are known as infrasound. Different animal species have varying hearing ranges.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:2.5 / 2 votes

1. Soundnoun

   the air bladder of a fish; as, cod sounds are an esteemed article of food

2. Soundnoun

   a cuttlefish

3. Sound

   whole; unbroken; unharmed; free from flaw, defect, or decay; perfect of the kind; as, sound timber; sound fruit; a sound tooth; a sound ship

4. Sound

   healthy; not diseased; not being in a morbid state; — said of body or mind; as, a sound body; a sound constitution; a sound understanding

5. Sound

   firm; strong; safe

6. Sound

   free from error; correct; right; honest; true; faithful; orthodox; — said of persons; as, a sound lawyer; a sound thinker

7. Sound

   founded in truth or right; supported by justice; not to be overthrown on refuted; not fallacious; as, sound argument or reasoning; a sound objection; sound doctrine; sound principles

8. Sound

   heavy; laid on with force; as, a sound beating

9. Sound

   undisturbed; deep; profound; as, sound sleep

10. Sound

    founded in law; legal; valid; not defective; as, a sound title to land

11. Soundadverb

    soundly

12. Soundnoun

    a narrow passage of water, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean; as, the Sound between the Baltic and the german Ocean; Long Island Sound

13. Soundverb

    to measure the depth of; to fathom; especially, to ascertain the depth of by means of a line and plummet

14. Soundverb

    fig.: To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe

15. Soundverb

    to explore, as the bladder or urethra, with a sound; to examine with a sound; also, to examine by auscultation or percussion; as, to sound a patient

16. Soundverb

    to ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device

17. Soundnoun

    any elongated instrument or probe, usually metallic, by which cavities of the body are sounded or explored, especially the bladder for stone, or the urethra for a stricture

18. Soundnoun

    the peceived object occasioned by the impulse or vibration of a material substance affecting the ear; a sensation or perception of the mind received through the ear, and produced by the impulse or vibration of the air or other medium with which the ear is in contact; the effect of an impression made on the organs of hearing by an impulse or vibration of the air caused by a collision of bodies, or by other means; noise; report; as, the sound of a drum; the sound of the human voice; a horrid sound; a charming sound; a sharp, high, or shrill sound

19. Soundnoun

    the occasion of sound; the impulse or vibration which would occasion sound to a percipient if present with unimpaired; hence, the theory of vibrations in elastic media such cause sound; as, a treatise on sound

20. Soundnoun

    noise without signification; empty noise; noise and nothing else

21. Soundverb

    to make a noise; to utter a voice; to make an impulse of the air that shall strike the organs of hearing with a perceptible effect

22. Soundverb

    to be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound

23. Soundverb

    to make or convey a certain impression, or to have a certain import, when heard; hence, to seem; to appear; as, this reproof sounds harsh; the story sounds like an invention

24. Soundverb

    to causse to make a noise; to play on; as, to sound a trumpet or a horn

25. Soundverb

    to cause to exit as a sound; as, to sound a note with the voice, or on an instrument

26. Soundverb

    to order, direct, indicate, or proclain by a sound, or sounds; to give a signal for by a certain sound; as, to sound a retreat; to sound a parley

27. Soundverb

    to celebrate or honor by sounds; to cause to be reported; to publish or proclaim; as, to sound the praises of fame of a great man or a great exploit

28. Soundverb

    to examine the condition of (anything) by causing the same to emit sounds and noting their character; as, to sound a piece of timber; to sound a vase; to sound the lungs of a patient

29. Soundverb

    to signify; to import; to denote

30. Etymology: [OE. sounen, sownen, OF. soner, suner, F. sonner, from L. sonare. See Sound a noise.]

FreebaseRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. Sound

   Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through some medium, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sound

   sownd, adj. safe, whole, entire: perfect: healthy, strong: profound: correct: orthodox: weighty.—adv. soundly, completely fast, as in sleep.—adv. Sound′ly.—n. Sound′ness. [A.S. gesund; Ger. gesund, and perh. L. sanus, sound.]

2. Sound

   sownd, n. a narrow passage of water: a strait. [A.S. sund, a narrow arm of the sea, from swimman, to swim; Ger. sund, a strait.]

3. Sound

   sownd, n. the air or swimming bladder of a fish. [A.S. sund, swimming.]

4. Sound

   sownd, v.i. to make a noise: to utter a voice: to spread or be spread: to appear on narration.—v.t. to cause to make a noise: to utter audibly: to direct by a sound or audible signal: to examine by percussion: to publish audibly.—n. the impression produced on the ear by the vibrations of air: noise, particular quality of tone: report, hearing-distance: empty or meaningless noise.—p.adj. Sound′ing, making a sound or noise: having a magnificent sound.—ns. Sound′ing-board, Sound′-board, the thin plate of wood or metal which increases and propagates the sound of a musical instrument: the horizontal board or structure over a pulpit, reading-desk, &c., carrying the speaker’s voice towards the audience; Sound′ing-post, Sound′-post, a support set under the bridge of a violin, for propagating the sounds to the body of the instrument.—adj. Sound′less, without sound, silent: not capable of being sounded, unfathomable. [M. E. sounen—O. Fr. soner—L. sonāre, to sound, sonus, a sound.]

5. Sound

   sownd, v.t. to measure the depth of, esp. with a line and plummet: to probe: to try to discover a man’s secret thoughts, wishes, &c.: to test: to introduce an instrument into the bladder to examine it.—v.i. to use the line and lead in ascertaining the depth of water.—n. a probe, an instrument to discover stone in the bladder.—ns. Sound′ing, the ascertaining the depth of water: (pl.) any part of the ocean where a sounding-line will reach the bottom; Sound′ing-lead, the weight at the end of a sounding-line; Sound′ing-line, a line with a plummet at the end for soundings; Sound′ing-rod, a rod for measuring water in a ship’s hold. [O. Fr. sonder, to sound; acc. to Diez, from Low L. subundāre—L. sub, under, unda, a wave.]

6. Sound

   sownd, n. (Spens.) swoon.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sound

   An alteration of pressure that propagates through an elastic medium.

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sound

   [Anglo-Saxon, sund]. An arm of the sea over the whole extent of which soundings may be obtained, as on the coasts of Norway and America. Also, any deep bay formed and connected by reefs and sand-banks. On the shores of Scotland it means a narrow channel or strait. Also, the air-bladder of the cod, and generally the swimming-bladder or «soundes of any fysshes.» Also, a cuttle-fish.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sound

   The velocity of sound in the air, at the temperature of 32° Fahr., is about 1090 feet in a second. It is increased or diminished 1.07 feet for each degree of temperature above or below 32°. The distance of an object can be ascertained by the report of fire-arms, by observing the number of seconds that elapse between the flash and the report of a gun, and multiplying the number by the velocity of sound in air.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sound

   A type of energy, language, communication or expression we can hear.

   Sound is a type of energy we can hear.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 8, 2020  

2. ---

   sound

   Trusted, financially secure and safe.

   He remarked that the gentleman was sound.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 8, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Announce
   • Channel
   • Happening
   • Measure
   • Mechanical Phenomenon
   • Pronounce
   • Seem
   • Sound Property

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘sound’ in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #959

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘sound’ in Written Corpus Frequency: #1530

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘sound’ in Nouns Frequency: #337

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘sound’ in Verbs Frequency: #232

5. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word ‘sound’ in Adjectives Frequency: #866

How to pronounce sound?

How to say sound in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of sound in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of sound in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of sound in a Sentence

1. Todd Graham:

   It sounded made for a sound bite.

2. Petter Kvadsheim:

   We expose them to the lowest sound they can hear to find their hearing threshold, using electrophysiological methods developed for use on newborn children.

3. Lindsay Graham:

   I said from day one that when you label a group of people as rapists and and drug dealers, that’s more about you than it is them, i’ve been trying to fix illegal immigration in a sound, thoughtful way for a decade, so what Trump says says more about Trump than it does anybody else.

4. Sean Feucht:

   Nobody was angry, we were just like, We want to worship. We want to declare a blessing over the state of California. When they persecute and discriminate, we bless. We want to release hope and we want to unify the sound of Bethel Church.

5. Ry Cooder:

   Music is all starting to sound alike in the modern era. Afro-pop sounds exactly like L.A. pop — there’s no difference, no ambience, no real resonance.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for sound

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

• klankAfrikaans
• صوتArabic
• səsAzerbaijani
• гукBelarusian
• звукBulgarian
• শব্দBengali
• སྒྲTibetan Standard
• so, sonar, sòlid, saCatalan, Valencian
• zvuk, rozeznít, rozezvučet, znít, vyslovovat, solidní, zdravýCzech
• swnio, sŵn, swntWelsh
• lyd, lyde, lade, udtale, rask, lodde, sondere, prøve, sund, fornuftig, sikker, sonde, dykke, pejle, pålidelig, solidDanish
• Klang, Schall, erklingen, Laut, klingen, Sund, Sonde, sondieren, gesundGerman
• ήχος, στηθοσκόπιο, βολιδοσκοπώ, πορθμός, ακροώμαιGreek
• sono, soniEsperanto
• son, sonar, sonido, seno, sondear, sano, estrecho, sondaSpanish
• heliEstonian
• soinu, hots, soundBasque
• صدا, آواز, صدا دادن, تندرستPersian
• soida, [[päästää]] [[ääni]], kajahtaa, perustua, soittaa, ääni, äännähtää, törähtää, kuulostaa, ääntää, lausua, sondi, sukeltaa, kokeilla, sondeerata, luodata, kondiksessa, lahti, koetin, hyväkuntoinen, vuono, terve, tutkia, testata, koestaaFinnish
• ljóð, sundFaroese
• de, prononcer, sonner, son, exprimer, sain, sonder, sauf, complet, tester, solide, sonde, sûrFrench
• lûdWestern Frisian
• fuaim, sunda, bealach, caolas, béalIrish
• fuaimScottish Gaelic
• sonGalician
• puGuaraní
• ધ્વનિGujarati
• קוֹל, השמיע קול, יציב, בריאHebrew
• आवाज़, ध्वनीHindi
• hang, hangzás, sértetlen, egészséges, hibátlan, épHungarian
• հնչյուն, ձայնArmenian
• sonarInterlingua
• bunyiIndonesian
• hljóða, hljóð, hljóma, sundIcelandic
• suonare, suono, insenatura, sanoItalian
• 音声, 関係する, 鳴らす, 音, 響き, 鳴る, 探子, 堅固な, 健全なる, 調べる, 探る, 健全な, 健康的な, 入り江, 潜るJapanese
• ხმაGeorgian
• дыбысKazakh
• សូរសំឡេងKhmer
• ಸ್ವಸ್ಥ, ಶಬ್ದKannada
• 音, 소리, 음Korean
• дабыш, добуш, тыбышKyrgyz
• sonō, sonus, sonitusLatin
• ສຽງLao
• garsoLithuanian
• skaņaLatvian
• nganga, toiora, tāwēwē, auMāori
• глас, звук, звучи, озвучува, јак, силен, здрав, цврст, драга, сонда, сондираMacedonian
• ഒച്ചMalayalam
• дууMongolian
• ध्वनी, आवाजMarathi
• bunyiMalay
• ħossMaltese
• အသံBurmese
• ध्वनिNepali
• geluid, klinken, klank, geluid maken, toon voortbrengen, degelijkDutch
• ljod, lydNorwegian Nynorsk
• lyd, frisk, sunn, grei, sund, stødigNorwegian
• sonOccitan
• dźwięk, cieśninaPolish
• som, soar, profundo, enseada, sonda, sólido, sã, seguro, completo, sãoPortuguese
• sondar, sunar, sun, tunRomansh
• suna, sunet, robust, sigur, zdravăn, nevătămat, solid, intact, teafăr, sănătos, completRomanian
• звук, звучать, прозвучать, канал, хорошо, надёжный, крепкий, здоровый, пролив, прочныйRussian
• स्वर, शब्द, नाद, ध्वन्Sanskrit
• sonai, sonareSardinian
• zvuk, звукSerbo-Croatian
• සද්දෙSinhala, Sinhalese
• zvuk, prielivSlovak
• zvok, zveneti, zazvenetiSlovene
• tingullAlbanian
• ljud, låta, ljuda, sund, kry, friskSwedish
• sautiSwahili
• ஒலிTamil
• సవ్వడి, శబ్దం, ధ్వనించు, మోగు, ధ్వని, మోగించుTelugu
• овоз, садоTajik
• เสียงThai
• sesTurkmen
• tunogTagalog
• ses, sağlıklı, iyiTurkish
• тавышTatar
• звукUkrainian
• آوازUrdu
• tovushUzbek
• âm thanh, 音聲, âm, 音Vietnamese
• ton, saunikVolapük
• קלאנגYiddish
• 声音Chinese

Get even more translations for sound »

Translation

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• Italiano (Italian)
• தமிழ் (Tamil)
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• Polski (Polish)
• Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
• Românește (Romanian)
• Nederlands (Dutch)
• Ελληνικά (Greek)
• Latinum (Latin)
• Svenska (Swedish)
• Dansk (Danish)
• Suomi (Finnish)
• فارسی (Persian)
• ייִדיש (Yiddish)
• հայերեն (Armenian)
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• English (English)

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