Common Senses: Son ("Sound")

Learn these words that contain the root son, from the Latin verb sonare, "to sound."

Here are links to the complete set of Common Senses lists:
Hearing: Phon / Aud / Son
Sight: Vid, Vis / Spec, Spect, Spic / Op, Ops, Opt
Touch: Path / Sent, Sens / Tact, Tang
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sonic
    relating to audible sound
    Instead, he lets his ears guide him on an adventure to track down quirky, extreme and historically venerated phenomena of our sonic universe. New York Times (Apr 23, 2014)
  2. infrasonic
    having frequencies below those of audible sound
    These infrasonic sounds can rattle and paralyze prey. Scientific American (Apr 10, 2013)
    infra ("below") + sonare + ic (suffix forming adjectives)
    Like infra, the prefix sub also means "below": so subsonic sounds are the same as infrasonic sounds.
  3. supersonic
    greater than the speed of sound in a given medium
    Federal authorities prohibit supersonic flight over the U.S., because sonic booms are annoying. BusinessWeek (Jul 15, 2013)
    super ("above") + sonare + ic (suffix forming adjectives)
  4. sonorous
    full and loud and deep
    His is not a voice that begins at the ankles the way Mr. Sheppard’s seemed to, but it is deep and sonorous enough. New York Times (May 5, 2013)
  5. assonance
    the repetition of similar vowels in successive words
    The splendid onomatopoeia of "hoary roaring sea" reminds us how well assonance and alliteration work throughout the poem. The Guardian (Jun 25, 2012)
    While assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds, alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginnings of words or in stressed syllables.
  6. consonance
    a harmonious state of things and of their properties
    There is a consonance of all things, a blending of all that we know about the material world and the spiritual. Keller, Helen
    Consonance can be an antonym of dissonance, as in the example sentence, but it also has a technical meaning that's connected assonance and alliteration: the repetition of similar consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words.
  7. dissonance
    disagreeable sounds
    All the overtones of the one sound now fall alongside those of the other; beats are at once produced; the combination of the tones becomes unpleasant: we obtain a dissonance. Mach, Ernst
  8. resonance
    the ability to create understanding or an emotional response
    “We listen for emotional resonance. We don’t listen for money in our melodies.” Forbes (May 23, 2014)
    Resonance can refer either to the quality of having a deep, clear, sustained sound, or to the quality of being sympathetic and evocative.
  9. sonata
    a musical composition of movements of contrasting forms
    Many young virtuoso pianists perform the Beethoven sonatas as a demonstration of their musical depth. New York Times (Mar 20, 2014)
  10. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    “Tell us about it,” said 20 hockey teams in unison. Seattle Times (May 17, 2014)
    uni ("one") + sonus ("sound")
  11. sonogram
    image produced by reflections of high-frequency sound waves
    I find prenatal vitamin recommendations, sonograms, and photocopies of each visit to the doctor. Everything, Everything
    sonare + gram (suffix forming nouns about instruments for recording or something written)
    Compare with ultrasound, below. A sonogram is an image produced by ultrasound technology, both although both words are now used interchangeably by excited prospective parents.
  12. sounding
    a measure of the depth of water taken with a sounding line
    We must frequently throw out the sounding line into the shifting sea of possibility in order to find secure anchorage. Cumont, Franz
  13. soundproof
    insulate against noise
    The company converted two closets into quiet rooms with soundproofing material on the walls and shower doors. BusinessWeek (Mar 13, 2014)
    This word originated as an adjective, similar to bulletproof and foolproof.
  14. resound
    ring or echo with noise
    The hills resound with the need to be heard. New York Times (Feb 14, 2014)
  15. ultrasound
    very high frequency sound; used in ultrasonography
    These katydids communicate in ultrasound, a range too high for most ears in the animal world—and therefore most potential predators. Scientific American (Nov 19, 2012)
    ultra ("beyond") + sonare
    Compare with infrasonic, above. Both describe sounds that humans cannot hear, but infrasonic covers a range below 20 hertz while ultrasound covers a range above 20,000 hertz.
Created on Wed May 28 17:17:51 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 20 14:40:40 EDT 2019)

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