Reverberations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Sound waves that bounce back create persistent echoes or effects in both auditory environments and physical surroundings
2. The enduring impacts of reflected sound are perceived as echoes, altering acoustic landscapes and influencing experiences
3. A series of reflected sounds that continue after the original noise stops ; the ongoing influence or aftermath resulting from a particular incident

Etymology: Sound that bounces back is the literal core of this word. The Latin "verberare" meant "to beat, strike, or lash," and "reverberare" added the prefix "re-" to give the sense of striking back, so the original image was of something driven back against a surface, much as a blow rebounds. English took the word through Old French "reverberation," which came from the Medieval Latin "reverberatio," and the suffix "-ion" turned the verb "reverberate" into a noun for the act or result of that striking back. The sense moved from physical blows to light and heat before sound claimed it. "Reverberate" was used of light and heat being reflected or thrown back, and only later of sound returning as echo. Today the plural "reverberations" is usually used figuratively, for the lasting effects that keep spreading after an event, as a single shock continues to ripple outward long after the first impact.

Synonyms: echoes, resonances, reflections, repercussions, vibrations