380. Sound
See also 198. HEARING ; 236. LANGUAGE ; 284. MUSIC ; 330. PRONUNCIATION ; 378. SONGS and SINGING ; 382. SPEECH ; 394. THUNDER .
- acoustics
- 1. Physics. the study of sound and sound waves.
- 2. the qualities or characteristics of a space, as an auditorium, that deter-mine the audibility and fidelity of sounds in it. —acoustician, n. —acoustic, adj.
- anacamptics
- Obsolete, the study of the reflection of sounds. —anacamptic, adj.
- assonance
- likeness or approximate similarity in sound.
- bombilation
- Rare. a rumbling sound.
- bombination
- Rare. a buzzing or humming sound.
- cacophony
- 1. a harshness of sound.
- 2. discordant noise. —cacophonic, cacophonous, adj.
- crepitation
- a crackling sound.
- diacoustics
- Rare. the science of sounds refracted through various media.
- echolocation
- the fixing of the position of an object by transmitting a signal and measuring the time required for it to bounce back, typically done by radar or sonar and by bats.
- echometry
- the measurement of the duration of and intervals between sounds. —echometer, n.
- euphony
- 1. an agreeableness in sounds; a pleasantness to the ear; harmoniousness.
- 2. Phonetics. a harmoniousness in speech sounds, especially in word choices emphasizing various patterns of consonants or vowels. —euphonic, euphonical, euphonious, adj.
- harmonometer
- an instrument for measuring the relationships between sounds.
- homonymy
- the state or quality of sounding identical, whether spelled identically or not, as bear and bare.
- homophony
- the state or condition of a letter, word, or symbol having the same sound as another but a different meaning, regardless of sameness or difference in spelling, as choirlquire. —homophonic, homophonous, adj.
- kaleidophon, kaleidophone
- an instrument for the visual representation of sound waves.
- monotony
- dullness or uniformity, similar to that experienced from a repeated sound. —monotonous, adj.
- onomatopoeia
- the state or condition of a word formed to imitate the sound of its intended meaning, as rustle. —onomatopoeic, onomatopoetic, onoma-topoietic, onomatopoeial, adj.
- oxyphonia, oxyphony
- an unusually sharp quality or pitch of sound or voice.
- phonology
- 1. the study of speech sounds, from either or both the phonetic and phonemic viewpoints.
- 2. the phonetic and phonemic systems of a language. See also 247. LINGUISTICS . —phonologist, n. —phonological, adj.
- phonomania
- an abnormal love of noise.
- phonophobia
- an abnormal f ear of noise.
- plangency
- the condition or quality of producing a deep or loud sound. —plangent, adj.
- psychoacoustics
- the study of the relationship between sounds and their perception by the listener, especially with regard to how the perception depends on the physical characteristics of the sound rather than on the mind of the listener. —psychoacoustician, n. —psychoacoustic, adj.
- raucity
- the state or quality of sounding hoarse or harsh. —raucous, adj.
- sibilancy, sibilance
- the state or quality of a hissing sound. —sibilant, adj.
- stridulation
- 1. the producing of a shrill, grating noise by chafing a serrated part of the body against a hard part.
- 2. the noise so produced. —stridulator, n. —stridulant, stridulatory, adj.
- susurration
- 1. the act or process of whispering.
- 2. a whispering sound or soft rustling. Also susurrus. —susurrant, susurrous, adj.
- tautophony
- repetition of the same sound. —tautophonic, tautophonical, adj.
- ultrasonics
- the science or study of ultrasonic vibrations, those belonging to a frequency above the audio range. —ultrasonic, adj.
- ululation
- 1. the act of wailing or hooting.
- 2. the sound thus produced. —ululant, adj.