volume

[vol-yoom, -yuh m]

noun

a collection of written or printed sheets bound together and constituting a book.

one book of a related set or series.

a set of issues of a periodical, often covering one year.

History/Historical. a roll of papyrus, parchment, or the like, or of manuscript.

the amount of space, measured in cubic units, that an object or substance occupies.

a mass or quantity, especially a large quantity, of something: a volume of mail.

amount; total: the volume of sales.

the degree of sound intensity or audibility; loudness: to turn up the volume on a radio.

fullness or quantity of tone.

Idioms

speak volumes,

to be very evident or significant: Her testimony spoke volumes.
to be expressive or meaningful: Your eyes speak volumes.

Origin of volume

1350–1400; Middle English volum(e) < Middle French < Latin volūmen roll (of sheets), equivalent to volū-, base of volvere to roll + -men noun suffix

Synonym study

5. See size¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for speak volumes

volume

noun

the magnitude of the three-dimensional space enclosed within or occupied by an object, geometric solid, etcSymbol: V

a large mass or quantitythe volume of protest

an amount or totalthe volume of exports

fullness or intensity of tone or sound

the control on a radio, etc, for adjusting the intensity of sound

a bound collection of printed or written pages; book

any of several books either bound in an identical format or part of a series

the complete set of issues of a periodical over a specified period, esp one year

history a roll or scroll of parchment, papyrus, etc

speak volumes to convey much significant information

Abbreviations (for senses 6–8): v, vol

Word Origin for volume

C14: from Old French volum, from Latin volūmen a roll, book, from volvere to roll up

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for speak volumes

volume

late 14c., "roll of parchment containing writing, large book," from Old French volume, from Latin volumen (genitive voluminis) "roll (as of a manuscript), coil, wreath," from volvere "to turn around, roll" (see volvox). Meaning "book forming part of a set" (1520s) is from a sense in French. Generalized sense of "bulk, mass, quantity" (1620s) developed from that of "bulk or size of a book" (1520s), again following the sense evolution in the French version of the word.

speak volumes in Medicine

volume

[vŏl′yōōm, -yəm]

n.

The amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional object or region of space, expressed in cubic units.

The capacity of such a region or of a specified container, expressed in cubic units.

speak volumes in Science

volume

[vŏl′yōōm]

The amount of space occupied by a three-dimensional object or region of space. Volumes are expressed in cubic units.

A measure of the loudness or intensity of a sound.

speak volumes in Culture

volume

In mathematics, the amount of space occupied by an object measured in three dimensions, expressed in cubic units. In physics, the loudness of a sound.

Idioms and Phrases with speak volumes

speak volumes

Be significant, indicate a great deal, as in That house of theirs speaks volumes about their income. This idiom uses volumes in the sense of “the information contained in volumes of books.” [c. 1800]

volume

see speak volumes.