Earplug

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small object inserted into the ear canal to reduce or block out noise from the environment
2. A protective item placed inside the ear to limit the entry of sound and protect hearing
3. An ear-inserted device designed to muffle or prevent loud noises from reaching the ear drum

Etymology: The word is about as transparent as English compounds get: "ear" plus "plug," where a plug is a stopper that fills an opening. An earplug, then, is simply something that stops up the ear canal, and the compound describes the object exactly as it works. The pairing is older than the noun's modern sense of a noise-blocking device. "Plug" has long meant a stopper or bung for a hole, and attaching it to "ear" follows the same pattern as other body-part compounds built from everyday objects. The ear is the opening; the plug fills it. Nothing about the formation hides a metaphor or a hidden story. Its common use for sound-blocking foam or wax, rather than medical stoppers, reflects the everyday logic of the name: the thing blocks the ear, and noise is what is being kept out.

Synonyms: earplug, noise-canceling device, hearing protector, ear defender, auditory filter