sonde

[sond]

noun

Rocketry.

1. a rocket, balloon, or rockoon used as a probe for observing phenomena in the atmosphere.

sonde

/ sɒnd /

noun

1. a rocket, balloon, or probe used for observing in the upper atmosphere

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonde¹

1920–25; < French: plumb line; sound ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of sonde¹

C20: from French: plummet, plumb line; see _sound ³

Example Sentences

The sonde, a tube of instruments about the size of a model rocket, was sucked out into the frigid air and began plummeting toward the clouds, where it would investigate the storm’s innards and transmit its findings to the world.

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This week, aboard a Gulfstream IV jet that was streaking toward Alaska as a giant storm seethed miles below, an engineer gave a quick countdown: “Sonde’s out in 5, 4, 3, 2 …”

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But the first to see it are the onboard meteorologists, whose screens dance with colorful squiggles representing wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity — each sonde’s proof of life during its unimaginably chaotic 15-minute dive toward the sea.

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Food aide Kari Sonde likes to set a small pot lid over the sandwich in the skillet.

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“Cardamom commonly appears in South Asian, Middle Eastern and North African dishes, as well as in sweet Scandinavian treats,” my colleague Kari Sonde wrote.

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