reverberation

[ ri-vur-buh-rey-shuh n ]

/ rɪˌvɜr bəˈreɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR reverberation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a reechoed sound.

the fact of being reverberated or reflected.

something that is reverberated: Reverberations from the explosion were felt within a six-mile radius.

an act or instance of reverberating.

Physics. the persistence of a sound after its source has stopped, caused by multiple reflection of the sound within a closed space.

the act or process of subjecting something to reflected heat, as in a reverberatory furnace.

RELATED WORDS

repercussion, consequence, echo

Nearby words

revenue tariff, revenuer, reverb, reverberant, reverberate, reverberation, reverberation time, reverberator, reverberatory, reverberatory furnace, revere

Origin of reverberation

1350–1400; Middle English reverberacioun < Medieval Latin reverberātiōn- (stem of reverberātiō). See reverberate, -ion

Examples from the Web for reverberation

In truth, the reverberation of those guns of rumor shook all hearts.
The Messenger|Elizabeth Robins
Trumpet replied to trumpet, and the reverberation of drums shook the ancient house.
The Fair God|Lew Wallace
The name rang out so thrillingly strange that its reverberation instantly arrested the flying footsteps of the girl.
The Strong Arm|Robert Barr
They are as loud as a heavy cannon fired near the house, with no reverberation, and little roll.
Scientific American magazine, Vol. 2 Issue 1|Various

The reverberation of their feet told that this passage was a bridge.
When the Sleeper Wakes|Herbert George Wells

Word Origin and History for reverberation

reverberation

late 14c., "reflection of light or heat," from Old French reverberacion "great flash of light; intense quality," from Medieval Latin reverberationem (nominative reverberatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin reverberare "beat back, strike back, repel, cause to rebound," from re- "back" (see re-) + verberare "to strike, to beat," from verber "whip, lash, rod," related to verbena "leaves and branches of laurel," from PIE *werb- "to turn, bend" (see warp (v.)). Sense of "an echo" is attested from 1620s.