Beep

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /biːp/

Definitions

1. A quick, high-frequency noise is generated by technological devices to indicate a condition or alert the user
2. A brief, high-pitched sound made by electronic equipment to signal or notify users
3. A rapid, audible tone produced electronically to indicate a specific event or warning

Etymology: "Beep" is onomatopoeic: it was formed to imitate the short, sharp sound that a device makes. Its shape follows the sound itself, a single vowel between two consonants that rises to a high pitch, which is why it has spread across so many languages with similar imitative forms. The verb sense, to make that sound, came naturally from the noun. A horn or machine that beeps is doing the same thing a person does when they sound one. The noun then came to name the sound itself, and with it the alerts and signals that produce it, from a car's warning to a hospital monitor.

Synonyms: buzz, signal, tone, alert, ping

Antonyms: silence, muteness, quiet, hush, calm