reverberation

English

Alternative forms

• reverbation (rare)

Etymology

From Old French reverberation, from Medieval Latin reverberatio. Morphologically reverberate +‎ -ion

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹiˈvɜː(ɹ)bəɹeɪʃən/, /ɹɪˈvɜː(ɹ)bəɹeɪʃən/, /ɹəˈvɜː(ɹ)bəɹeɪʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

reverberation (countable and uncountable, plural reverberations)

1. A violent oscillation or vibration.

   The discomfort caused by the bat's reverberation surprised Tommy.

2. An echo, or a series of overlapping echoes.

   The reverberation that followed Marilyn's shout filled the cavern.

3. The reflection of light or heat; a reflection in, or as though in, a mirror.

   Like the several reverberations of the same image from two opposite looking glasses.

4. (chiefly in the plural) An evolving series of effects resulting from a particular event; a repercussion.

   Reverberations from the Vietnam war affect our society to this day.

Translations

violent oscillation or vibration

• Dutch: terugslag (nl)
• Finnish: värinä (fi)
• French: contrecoup (fr) m
• German: Zurückschlagen n
• Maori: paorangi
• Tagalog: balingawngaw

echo, or a series of overlapping echos

• Bulgarian: ехо (bg) n (eho), ехтене (bg) n (ehtene)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 迴響／回响 (wui⁴ hoeng²)

• Dutch: weerklank (nl), echo (nl)
• Finnish: kaiku (fi) (echo); jälkikaiunta, jälkikaiku, kaje (series)
• French: echo (fr) m
• German: Hall (de) m, Nachhall (de) m, Widerhall (de) m, Widerklang (de) m, Nachhallen (de) n, Widerschallen n, Zurückschallen n, Nachklang m
• Irish: aisfhuaimniú m, frithchaitheamh m, macalla (ga) m
• Japanese: 残響 (ja) (ざんきょう, zankyō)
• Macedonian: одек m (odek)
• Maori: paorangi (of thunder)
• Polish: pogłos (pl) m
• Portuguese: reverberação (pt) f
• Russian: отраже́ние (ru) n (otražénije), ревербера́ция (ru) f (reverberácija), о́тзвук (ru) m (ótzvuk)
• Slovak: dozvuk m
• Swedish: efterklang
• Tagalog: balingawngaw, ulyaw

reflection of light or heat

• Bulgarian: отражение (bg) n (otraženie)
• Dutch: weerkaatsing (nl)
• Finnish: heijastus (fi)
• French: réflexion (fr) f
• German: Widerschein (de) m, Zurückwerfen n, Zurückstrahlen n, Zurückwurf m, Widerspiegelung (de) f
• Irish: frithspré m (heat), macalla (ga) m (light), frithchaitheamh m (light)

evolving series of effects

• Dutch: repercussie (nl)
• Finnish: jälkikaiut pl
• French: répercussion (fr) f
• German: Nachwirkung (de) f, Nachhall (de) m
• Portuguese: repercussão (pt) f

References

• John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “reverberation”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.