surd

[ surd ]

/ sɜrd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR surd ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

Phonetics. voiceless (opposed to sonant).

Mathematics. (of a quantity) not capable of being expressed in rational numbers; irrational.

noun

Phonetics. a voiceless consonant (opposed to sonant).

Mathematics. a surd quantity.

Words nearby surd

surcease, surcharge, surcingle, surcoat, surculose, surd, sure, sure as shooting, sure cure, sure enough, sure of oneself

Origin of surd

First recorded in 1545–55, surd is from the Latin word surdus dull-sounding, mute, deaf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for surd

On the one hand Aristotle by his doctrine of matter admitted a surd into his system.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8|Various
Surdimū′tism, the condition of being deaf and dumb; Surd′ity, want of sonant quality.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
The problems have a surd or irrational element in them; and to solve them would be to bring reason into collision with itself.
Browning as a Philosophical and Religious Teacher|Henry Jones
The terms sonant and surd are, in a scientific point of view, the least exceptionable.
A Handbook of the English Language|Robert Gordon Latham

Again, he points out that the surd aspirate h is heard in some languages, but is hardly audible in others.
All About Coffee|William H. Ukers

British Dictionary definitions for surd

surd

/ (sɜːd) /

noun

maths an expression containing one or more irrational roots of numbers, such as 2√3 + 3√2 + 6

phonetics a voiceless consonant, such as (t)

adjective

of or relating to a surd

Word Origin for surd

C16: from Latin surdus muffled

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

surd

adjective

noun

Words related to surd

Words nearby surd

Origin of surd

Examples from the Web for surd

British Dictionary definitions for surd

noun

adjective

Word Origin for surd