Audiogenic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerning sounds generated by the inner auditory structures and their influence on hearing functions
2. Relating to sounds that originate from within the auditory system or are triggered by sound stimuli
3. Describing phenomena that arise due to sound waves or auditory mechanisms within the ear

Etymology: "Audiogenic" is built from two parts: "audio-", from Latin "audire" meaning "to hear", and "-genic", from Greek "-genēs" meaning "producing" or "born of", as in "photogenic" (produced by light). Put together, the word describes something produced by sound. The term is most often used in medicine and biology, where it describes seizures or reactions triggered by loud or sudden noises. Certain laboratory strains of mice, for example, can be provoked into convulsions by a sharp sound, and such animals are called audiogenic. The sound itself is the cause, so the adjective needs no further explanation: the sound generates the response.