Sonus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a sound or tone; an audible vibration perceived by the ear; the quality or character of an auditory sensation
2. Denoting an acoustic phenomenon; a heard noise or a voice; the distinctive auditory attribute of a particular source
3. Indicating any form of sound; a perceptible auditory event; the unique auditory impression produced by vibrations traveling through a medium

Etymology: "Sonus" is the Latin word for sound, noise, or tone, and it is the root behind a whole family of English words such as "sonic," "sonar," "sonata," and "sonnet." The Latin noun was built on an Indo-European base meaning to make a noise, and it was used across Roman writing for anything that reached the ear, from a voice to the clash of weapons. English borrowed the form mainly as a scientific and technical term. Its most striking English offspring is "sonar," an acronym coined in the 1940s for SOund Navigation And Ranging, which shows how a classical root could be reshaped for modern machines. Scientists also used "sonus" directly in Latin contexts, where it names the audible vibration that the ear perceives.

Synonyms: sound, tone

Antonyms: silence