sound

See also: Sound

English

Alternative forms

  • soune (obsolete), sowne (obsolete)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /saʊnd/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -aʊnd

Etymology 1

From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund, ġesund (sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous), 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), Middle Irish fétaid (to be able). 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)

  1. Healthy.
    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.
    • 1842 May 30, “Roscorla v. Thomas”, in Montagu[e] Chambers, editor, The Law Journal Reports for the Year 1842, volume XX (New Series – volume XI, part II), London: E. B. Ince, 5 Quality Court, Chancery Lane, OCLC 124015025, pages 214–215:
      [O]n 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; []
  2. Complete, solid, or secure.
    Fred assured me the floorboards were sound.
    • Chapman
      The brasswork here, how rich it is in beams, / And how, besides, it makes the whole house sound.
  3. (mathematics, logic) Having the property of soundness.
    • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page vii:
      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 []
  4. (Britain, slang) Good; acceptable; decent.
    "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.
  5. (of sleep) Quiet and deep. Sound asleep means sleeping peacefully, often deeply.
    Her sleep was sound.
  6. Heavy; laid on with force.
    a sound beating
  7. Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective.
    a sound title to land
Hypernyms
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Adverb

sound (comparative more sound, superlative most sound)

  1. Soundly.
    • Edmund Spenser
      So sound he slept that naught might him awake.

Interjection

sound

  1. (Britain, slang) Yes; used to show agreement or understanding, generally without much enthusiasm.
    - I found my jacket.
    - Sound.

Etymology 2

Displaced native Middle English loude, lude, from Old English hlȳd, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdijō (sound).

A drum produces sound via a vibrating membrane.

Noun

sound (countable and uncountable, plural sounds)

  1. A sensation perceived by the ear caused by the vibration of air or some other medium.
    He turned when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Nobody made a sound.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton
      The warlike sound / Of trumpets loud and clarions.
  2. A vibration capable of causing such sensations.
    • 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., OCLC 580270828, page 01:
      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.
  3. (music) A distinctive style and sonority of a particular musician, orchestra etc
  4. Noise without meaning; empty noise.
    • (Can we date this quote?) John Locke
      Sense and not sound [] must be the principle.
  5. Earshot, distance within which a certain noise may be heard.
    Stay within the sound of my voice.
Synonyms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
See also

Verb

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

  1. (intransitive) To produce a sound.
    When the horn sounds, take cover.
  2. (copulative) To convey an impression by one's sound.
    He sounded good when we last spoke.
    That story sounds like a pack of lies!
    • (Can we date this quote?) Shakespeare
      How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues!
  3. (intransitive) To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, 1 Thessalonians i. 8
      From you sounded out the word of the Lord.
  4. (intransitive, obsolete) To resound.
  5. (intransitive, law, often with in) To arise or to be recognizable as arising in or from a particular area of law.
    • 1999, Supreme Court of the United States, City of Monterey v. Del Monte Dunes at Montery, Ltd. et al.:
      [T]here can be no doubt that claims brought pursuant to § 1983 sound in tort.
  6. (transitive) To cause to produce a sound.
    Sound the alarm!
    He sounds the instrument.
  7. (transitive, phonetics, of a vowel or consonant) To pronounce.
    The "e" in "house" isn't sounded.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Etymology 3

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 sond (sound; strait), Danish sund (sound; strait; channel), Swedish sund (sound; strait; channel), Icelandic sund (sound; strait; channel). Related to swim.

Noun

sound (plural sounds)

  1. (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.
    Puget Sound; Owen Sound
    • Camden
      The Sound of Denmark, where ships pay toll.
  2. The air bladder of a fish.
    Cod sounds are an esteemed article of food.
  3. A cuttlefish.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Ainsworth to this entry?)
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 4

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)

  1. (intransitive) Dive downwards, used of a whale.
    The whale sounded and eight hundred feet of heavy line streaked out of the line tub before he ended his dive.
  2. To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe.
    When I sounded him, he appeared to favor the proposed deal.
    • Dryden
      I was in jest, / And by that offer meant to sound your breast.
    • Addison
      I've sounded my Numidians man by man.
  3. Test; ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device.
    Mariners on sailing ships would sound the depth of the water with a weighted rope.
  4. (medicine) To examine with the instrument called a sound or sonde, or by auscultation or percussion.
    to sound a patient, or the bladder or urethra

Noun

sound (plural sounds)

  1. (medicine) An instrument for probing or dilating; a sonde.
Translations

Noun

sound (plural sounds)

  1. A long, thin probe for sounding body cavities or canals such as the urethra.
Translations

References

Anagrams


Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English sound.

Noun

sound m (invariable)

  1. (music) sound (distinctive style and sonority)
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