Word definition: sound

Etimology


From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund, ġesund (“sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous”), from Proto-West Germanic *sund, from Proto-Germanic *gasundaz, *sundaz (“healthy”), from Proto-Indo-European *sunt-, *swent- (“vigorous, active, healthy”). Cognate with Scots sound, soun (“healthy, sound”), Saterland Frisian suund, gesuund (“healthy”), West Frisian sûn (“healthy”), Dutch gezond (“healthy, sound”), Low German sund, gesund (“healthy”), German gesund (“healthy, sound”), Danish sund (“healthy”), Swedish sund (“sound, healthy”). Related also to Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick”), German geschwind (“fast, quick”), Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”). See swith.

adjective


sound (comparative sounder, superlative soundest)

Healthy.

Complete, solid, or secure.

(mathematics, logic) Having the property of soundness.

(Britain, Ireland, slang) Good; acceptable; decent.

(of sleep) Quiet and deep.

Heavy; laid on with force.

Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective.

Examples


He was safe and sound.

In horse management a sound horse is one with no health problems that might affect its suitability for its intended work.

on the 29th of September 1840, in consideration that the plaintiff, at the request of the defendant, had bought of the defendant a certain horse, at a certain price, to wit, 30l., the defendant promised plaintiff that the horse did not exceed five years off, and that it was sound in wind and limb, perfect in vision, and free from vice; […]

Fred assured me the floorboards were sound.

The brasswork here, how rich it is in beams, And how, besides, it makes the whole house sound.

Refurbishing Okehampton station, kept basically sound under ownership by Devon Council, remains a work in progress and scheduled for completion next spring.

Hypernym: valid

With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what you see is what you get […]

How are you? —I'm sound.

That's a sound track you're playing.

See that man over there? He's sound. You should get to know him.

Sound asleep means sleeping peacefully, and often deeply.

Her sleep was sound.

a sound beating

a sound title to land

adverb


sound (comparative more sound, superlative most sound)

Soundly.

Examples


So ſound he ſlept, that nought mought him awake.

interjection


sound

(Britain, Ireland, slang) Yes; used to show agreement or understanding.

Examples


I found my jacket. — Sound.

Etimology


Noun: from Middle English sownde, alteration of soun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sun, soun, Old French son, from accusative of Latin sonus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- (“to sound, resound”). Verb: from Middle English sownden, sounen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman suner, sounder, Old French soner (modern sonner), from Latin sonō. The hypercorrect -d appears in the fifteenth century. (Compare dialectal drownd, gownd for the same development.) Displaced native Middle English swei, from Old English swēġ, from Proto-Germanic *swōgiz.

noun


sound (countable and uncountable, plural sounds)

A sensation perceived by the ear caused by the vibration of air or some other medium.

A vibration capable of causing such sensations.

(music) A distinctive style and sonority of a particular musician, orchestra etc.

Noise without meaning; empty noise.

Earshot, distance within which a certain noise may be heard.

(phonetics) A segment as a part of spoken language, the smallest unit of spoken language, a speech sound.

Examples


He turned when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.  Nobody made a sound.

The warlike sound Of trumpets loud and clarions.

Through all the Worlds are sounds, the noises of moving, and the echoes of voices and song; but upon the River is no sound ever heard, for there all echoes die.

In trumpets for assisting the hearing, all reverbation of the trumpet must be avoided. It must be made thick, of the least elastic materials, and covered with cloth externally. For all reverbation lasts for a short time, and produces new sounds which mix with those which are coming in.

It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. […]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.

He looks like he's got it, maybe. Listen to those kids!There's no maybe about it. That's it, that's the sound.

For let us conſider this Prepoſition as to its meaning, […]

Stay within the sound of my voice.

Related words


synonyms

See also Thesaurus:sound

verb


sound (third-person singular simple present sounds, present participle sounding, simple past and past participle sounded)

(intransitive) To produce a sound.

(copulative) To convey an impression by one's sound.

(intransitive) To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound.

(intransitive, obsolete) To resound.

(intransitive, law, often with in) To arise or to be recognizable as arising in or from a particular area of law, or as likely to result in a particular kind of legal remedy.

(transitive) To cause to produce a sound.

(transitive, phonetics, of a vowel or consonant) To pronounce.

Examples


When the horn sounds, take cover.

He sounded good when we last spoke.

That story sounds like a pack of lies!

How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues!

For from you ſounded out the worde of the Lord, not in Macedonia & in Achaia onely: but your faith alſo which is towarde God, ſpred abroade in all quarters, that we nede not to ſpeake any thing.

In my opinion this claim sounds in damages rather than in an injunction.

[…] there can be no doubt that claims brought pursuant to § 1983 sound in tort.

Sound the alarm!

He sounds the instrument.

The "e" in "house" isn't sounded.

Related words


synonyms

(to make noise): echo, reecho, resonate

See also Thesaurus:sound

Etimology


From Middle English sound, sund, from Old English sund (“the power, capacity, or act of swimming; swimming; sea; ocean; water; sound; strait; channel”), from Proto-Germanic *sundą (“swimming; sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *swem- (“swimming; sea”). Cognate with Dutch zond (“sound; strait”), Danish sund (“sound; strait; channel”), Swedish sund (“sound; strait; channel”), Icelandic sund (“sound; strait; channel”). Related to swim.

noun


sound (plural sounds)

(geography) A long narrow inlet, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean.

The air bladder of a fish.

Examples


Puget Sound; Owen Sound; Long Island Sound

The Sound of Denmarke, where ships pay toll.

Cod sounds are an esteemed article of food.

The head was chopped off, the belly opened, the liver set aside--sometimes along with the roe, sounds, throats, and other items.

Etimology


From Middle English sounden, from Old French sonder, from sonde (“sounding line”) of Germanic origin, compare Old English sundgyrd (“a sounding rod”), sundline (“a sounding line”), Old English sund (“water, sea”). More at Etymology 3 above.

verb


sound (third-person singular simple present sounds, present participle sounding, simple past and past participle sounded)

(intransitive) Of a whale, to dive downwards.

To ascertain, or to try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe.

To fathom or test; to ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device.

(medicine) To examine with the instrument called a sound or sonde, or by auscultation or percussion.

Examples


The whale sounded and eight hundred feet of heavy line streaked out of the line tub before he ended his dive.

When I sounded him, he appeared to favor the proposed deal.

Tell me moreouer, haſt thou ſounded him,If he appeale the Duke on ancient malice,Or worthily as a good ſubiect ſhouldOn ſome knowne ground of treacherie in him.

I was in Jeſt: And by that offer meant to ſound your breaſt.

I've sounded my Numidians man by man.

Mariners on sailing ships would sound the depth of the water with a weighted rope.

As when the Sea-man […] All fearefull foldes his ſailes, and ſounds the maine,Lifting his prayers to the heauens for aid,Againſt the terrour of the winds and waues.

to sound a patient, or the bladder or urethra

noun


sound (plural sounds)

(medicine) A long, thin probe for sounding or dilating body cavities or canals such as the urethra; a sonde.

Examples


Most mild cases respond very nicely to such relatively simple office procedures as dilatations with sounds of increasing calibre, followed by the instillation of an ounce of 5 per cent argyrol in the bladder.

Data provided by Wiktionary