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Synonyms

surd

American  
[surd] / sɜrd /

adjective

  1. Phonetics. voiceless (opposed to sonant).

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


noun

  1. Phonetics. a voiceless consonant (opposed to sonant).

  2. Mathematics. a surd quantity.

surd British  
/ sɜːd /

noun

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

  2. phonetics a voiceless consonant, such as ( t )

"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

adjective

  1. of or relating to a surd

"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

Etymology

Origin of surd

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It offers private, group and corporate surf lessons, as well as an after-school program, surd camps and rentals, according to its website.

From Washington Times • Aug. 12, 2021

The second case illustrates a feature of the recurring continued fraction which represents a complete quadratic surd.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 2 "Constantine Pavlovich" to "Convention" by Various

Adj. deaf, earless†, surd; hard of hearing, dull of hearing; deaf-mute, stunned, deafened; stone deaf; deaf as a post, deaf as an adder, deaf as a beetle, deaf as a trunkmaker†. inaudible, out of hearing.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark

It is classed as a surd spirant, its corresponding sonant spirant being v, which is distinguished from f by being pronounced with voice instead of breath, as may be perceived by pronouncing ef, ev.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia Volume 4, Part 3: Estremoz to Felspar by Various

Review the method of finding the square root of a binomial surd.

From A Review of Algebra by Rivenburg, Romeyn Henry

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