din

/dɪn/

/dɪn/

Other forms: dinned; dinning; dins

Walk into the average school cafeteria at lunchtime, and you'll get a good sense of what a din is — loud, confused, continuous, generally unpleasant, and often potentially headache-inducing noise.

Who knew noise pollution was a problem in ancient times? Humans have been experiencing loud, sustained, annoying sounds for centuries, judging by the etymology of the word din. It traces its roots back to Old English dyne or dynn, which had the same meaning as din does today, only with a different pronunciation. Before that, it popped up in Old Norse as dynr and meant to "come rumbling down" — fitting, from the language that gave us Thor, the God of Thunder.

Definitions of din

1. noun

   a loud, harsh, or strident noise
   synonyms: blare, blaring, cacophony, clamor, clamour

   type of:

   noise

   sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
2. noun

   the act of making a noisy disturbance
   synonyms: commotion, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, tumult

   types:

   ado, bustle, flurry, fuss, hustle, hustle and bustle, stir

   a rapid active commotion

   type of:

   disturbance

   the act of disturbing something or someone; setting something in motion
3. verb

   make a resonant sound, like artillery
   synonyms: boom

   type of:

   go, sound

   make a certain noise or sound
4. verb

   instill (into a person) by constant repetition
   “he dinned the lessons into his students”

   type of:

   inculcate, infuse, instill

   teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions