reverberationn.
/rᵻˌvəːbəˈreɪʃn/, U.S. /rəˌvərbəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/, /riˌvərbəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ a. The fact of being driven or forced back, esp. after impact; vibration. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impact > rebound > [noun]
reboundinga1382
reverberationc1405
rebound1440
stot1513
repercussion1553
recoil1583
resilience1626
reflection1642
refraction1653
resilition1654
backstroke1674
retro-spring1716
ricochet1740
dap1835
bounce1884
spring-back1899
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Summoner's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 526 Euery soun Nys but of Eyr reuerberacioun.
1578 G. Best True Disc. Passage to Cathaya iii. 21 We suppose these great indrafts..are made by the reuerberation and reflection of that same Currant.
1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin iv. 231 Being nothing amazed to see many of their companies slaine directly with the Boollet, and many wounded with the reuerberacion of the same.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. xi. xix. 321 The sound made by reverberation of the aire, which men call Eccho.
1658 J. Rowland tr. T. Moffett Theater of Insects in Topsell's Hist. Four-footed Beasts (rev. ed.) 992 They [sc. grasshoppers] sing not with their mouth..but by the reverberation of a little membrane under the flabells.
1755 Man No. 15. 2 They will walk through a city, and distinguish the broad streets from the narrow; by the different reverberation of the air upon their skin.
1783 C. Vallancey Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis III. xii. 502 The blowing of the horn, or rather the act of blowing, as the word expresses, i.e. the reverberation of the air.
1829 W. Cobbett Eng. Gardener ii. §39 It is a great deal better than a wall, because it occasions no recoiling or reverberation of the wind.
1872 Eng. Mech. 14 June 332/3 Could recurrence result from reverberation of the cosmic fluid, as echo results from reverberation of air?
b. The action of driving or forcing something back; an instance of this. Also figurative. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. vi. vi. f. 30v/1 In this tumefactione ther is, a continuall reverberation.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 526 It beeing driuen backe, returneth downward; howbeit, in that reuerberation, breaketh out vnder those knots.
a1702 J. Howe Living Temple ii. v, in Wks. (1835) I. 81 What wounded him did, by a strong reverberation, wound them back again.
1758 H. Walpole Mem. George II III. 84 He did..give such a reverberation to our stagnating Councils as exceedingly altered the appearance of our fortune.
1773 S. Johnson Let. 6 Sept. (1992) II. 66 A mighty flood..frequently obstructed by protuberances and exasperated by reverberation.
1845 L. H. Sigourney Scenes Native Land 228 It is a slightly curved line of sand, on whose eastern shore the surges of the unbroken Atlantic beat with great force and reverberation.
2. Reflection of light (esp. sunlight) or heat; passage of light to and fro; an instance of this. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > reflection > [noun] > as an action of light
reverberationa1475
repercussion1563
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > heat > transmission of heat > [noun] > reflection of heat
reverberationa1475
reflection1559
a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 6 Sette ȝoure vessel forseid to þe strong reuerberacioun of þe sunne.
1555 R. Eden Disc. Vyages Butrigarius & Cabote in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 254 The days are..hot by reason of contynuall reuerberation of the beames of the soonne.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 7 In the reflection and reuerberation of the Sun-beames from the water.
1655 H. L'Estrange Reign King Charles 54 To feel as strong reverberations of envie and ill will from beneath, as they do irradiations of grace and favour from above.
a1680 J. Bargrave Pope Alexander VII (1867) ii. 136 The reverberation of the light from the steel through the crystal sendeth forth..a radiant light in a dark night.
1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 42 Like the several Reverberations of the same Image from two opposite Looking-Glasses.
1778 R. Lowth Isaiah (ed. 12) Notes 300 That false appearance..is occasioned by the reverberation of the sun beams.
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. I. ix. 98 Fostered by the reverberation of solar heat from the rocks.
1870 J. R. Lowell Among my Bks. (1873) 1st Ser. 184 The throng which is but the reverberation of his supremacy.
c1879 R. L. Stevenson Ess. Trav. (1905) 222 The plump sunshine from above and its strong reverberation from below colour the skin.
1917 J. S. Fassett tr. P. Baroja City of Discreet 157 The plazas..were blinding with the reverberation of light against the walls.
2000 D. Silverman Van Gogh & Gauguin 39 The backlit coloring, arcing brushwork, and glowing face..suggest to the viewer the reverberations of light waves being emitted.
3. Chemistry and Metallurgy. The heating of a substance in such a way that flames are deflected back on to its surface or passed over it; the return of a flame to the bottom of a furnace; an instance or occasion of this. Also in furnace (also †oven) of reverberation. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > [noun] > furnace > other processes
reverberationa1475
hot blast1836
botting1874
hanging1878
clinkering1901
a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 13 Ȝe moste þe riȝt blak erþe of oon hide nature, in þe furneys of glas mon, or ellis reuerberacioun, xxj dayes calcyne.
a1500 in D. W. Singer Catal. Lat. & Vernacular Alchemical MSS (1931) II. 377 (MED) The furnes of calcinacion and sublimacion..The furnes of reuerberacion.
1605 T. Tymme tr. J. Du Chesne Pract. Chymicall & Hermeticall Physicke i. xiii. 161 Their colours may be taken away by cementation and reverberation.
1683 J. Pettus Ess. Metallick Words at Amel, in Fleta Minor ii The Lime..being well calcin'd in an oven of Reverberation makes the Amel.
1720 W. Salmon Pharmacopœia Bateana (ed. 5) i. ix. 395/2 Put it into a Furnace of Reverberation, with a Recipient almost filled with Water.
1797 W. G. Maton Obs. Nat. Hist. Western Counties I. 234 Blocks, or bars, of copper are here reduced into flat sheets..by being heated by the reverberation of flame in a furnace constructed for the purpose.
1852 Edinb. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 77 191 The one fire red lead is subjected to another reverberation in the iron cisterns in the oven.
1900 M. Eissler Metall. Gold (ed. 5) iii. ii. 260 The ore which is spread out on the hearth is brought to a high heat through reverberation of the flame passing over it in..wave-like flowing streams.
1934 L. Thorndike Hist. Magic & Exper. Sci. III. xxxvii. 635 He further prefers calcination in a furnace of reverberation, which keeps all parts of the vessel at an even heat.
2000 R. G. W. Anderson in F. L. Holmes & T. H. Levere Instruments & Exper. Hist. Chem. i. 17 Each chemical process—fusion, cupellation, calcination, reverberation..—needed a particular kind of furnace.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > reflection > [noun]
reflectiona1398
reverberation?a1475
reflexity?c1500
reflex1508
repercussion1563
resultation1603
rebound1689
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1879) VII. 497 (MED) The siȝhte of the peple segenge that cite was deludede by the reverberation [a1387 J. Trevisa tr. blasynge; L. reverberationem] of snawe.
1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 140 His caske burnt with the sunne and the reuerberation of the Sands..did breake.
1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 413 A high Mountain..The Reverberation of which..furiously heats the place.
5.
a. Repeated echoing or occurrence of a sound; (in later use) spec. temporary persistence of sound without perceptible distinct echoes, resulting from repeated reflection from nearby surfaces or produced artificially; the degree to which this occurs. Also: an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > [noun] > reverberation or echo
echo1340
repercussion1554
rebound1567
reverberation1569
reverberating1576
answer1609
re-echoing1611
re-echo1613
replicationa1616
back-echo1626
echoinga1649
reboation1648
redounda1665
aftersound1807
verberation1825
reverb1875
anacampsis1879
liveness1931
post-echo1956
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > [noun] > reverberation or echo > action or fact of reverberating
resounding?c1400
reverberation1569
retorting1652
1569 E. Fenton tr. P. Boaistuau Certaine Secrete Wonders Nature f. 96v His Passa that guided hym was none other thing than a reuerbaration of the Eccho.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia iii. 301 With a proude reverberation, spreading it into the aire; it seemed before the harmonie came to the eare, that it had enriched it selfe in trauaile.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §270 To the Reverberation of Audibles are required greater spaces.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. i. 30 Cowardice often resounded the same Shout in their Breasts, till beaten with the Reverberation thereof, without striking a Stroak, they confusedly ran away.
1759 R. Dodsley Let. 12 Oct. in J. E. Tierney Corr. R. Dodsley (1988) 424 A Gun fired from the Top of this Cliff, creates, by the Reverberation of the Report amongst other rocks, a loud Clap of Thunder, two or three Times repeated, before it dies away.
1828 E. Holmes Ramble among Musicians Germany 194 The effect of an excellent orchestra is heightened by the structure of this edifice, which admits of a fine echo and reverberation.
1876 E. Mellor Priesthood ii. 68 Music..that steals from arch to arch in long reverberation.
1905 E. Atkinson tr. A. Ganot Nat. Philos. (ed. 10) iv. i. 203 When a person is speaking in a large empty room, the reverberation from the walls and ceiling produces a confused effect.
1948 P. M. Morse Vibration & Sound (ed. 2) xxxii. 387 If the room is used chiefly for music, we can allow more reverberation without detriment.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio xi. 188 ‘Echo’ is something of a misnomer for a studio technique which serves to extend reverberation without (it is hoped) introducing any actual echoes.
2003 Church Times 5 Sept. 32/1 The hall has very little reverberation.
b. The action of something in causing a sound to reverberate. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > [noun] > reverberation or echo > action or fact of reverberating > of reverberating body
reverberation1596
1596 T. Danett tr. P. de Commynes Hist. viii. v. 328 The reuerberation of these great mountaines..made this thunder seeme greater than indeede it was.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 84 I sensibly heard by reuerberation of the wall, the sound of the vollies of shot in that skirmish.
1796 J. Owen Trav. Europe I. lii. 264 We took it for thunder, and its echoes were prolonged by the reverberation of the rocks with which we were enclosed.
1826 Provinc. Antiq. in W. Scott Prose Wks. (1837) V. 100 In the midst of a clamour, which was multiplied tenfold by the reverberation of the ruins, the fox was seen to leap.
1912 A. Castle & E. Castle Lure of Life vi. 253 The sound was repeated, caught by the hollow reverberation of the stone wall.
c. In plural. Re-echoing or reverberating sounds. Also in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > [noun] > reverberating or echoing sound
resounda1460
roll1602
reverberations1758
1758 London Mag. Feb. 74/2 Nothing is more agreeable than the repeated echoes; it being scarce possible to distinguish the real clangor of the French horns..from the numberless reverberations of them among the rocks and mountains.
1858 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 2 June in French & Ital. Notebks. (1980) v. 269 Petrarch's house stands..within hearing of the reverberations between the strokes of the Cathedral.
1866 J. G. Murphy Crit. Comm. Exodus xix. 18 The whole mountain trembled greatly with the reverberations of the thunder.
1913 W. W. Thompson Sea Fisheries Cape Colony iv. 82 The tuneless reverberations of the archaic fish-horn.
1985 L. Hudson Night Life vii. 84 Reverberations and echoes of meaning.
1998 T. C. Boyle Riven Rock 81 O'Kane appeared at the door even before the tympanic echoes of the bell had died away in a series of dull reverberations.
d. Plumbing. = water hammer n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > sound of water > [noun] > water-hammer
water hammer1843
reverberation1967
1967 Gloss. Sanitation Terms (B.S.I.) 63 Reverberation, a hammering sound caused by violent surges of pressure in water pipes.
1972 J. Hastings Plumber's Compan. 168 The working plumber is unlikely to use ‘reverberation’ or even ‘concussion’ when speaking of water hammer.
2003 Plumbing (Carson Dunlop & Associates Ltd.) iv. 82 Reverberation..sounds a little bit like someone pounding on metal piping with a hammer.
6. Something repeated or transmitted further; a continued or knock-on effect, likened to that of reverberating waves of sound; a repercussion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > [noun] > return action or operation
repercussion1603
reacting1611
recussion1754
reaction1771
reagency1793
reverberation1797
retroaction1799
response1887
snap-back1972
1797 Scots Mag. Jan. 55/2 He concluded by moving the Address, which was a reverberation of the Message.
1815 C. Lloyd tr. V. Alfieri Second Brutus i. i, in Trag. III. 357 That hearty and unanimous consent, From whose reverberation speedily Each foe of Rome will be dispersed or slain.
1870 J. H. Newman Ess. Gram. Assent i. v. 101 The perceptive power which identifies the intimations of conscience with the reverberations or echoes (so to say) of an external admonition.
1878 H. James Internat. Episode 71 She was very fond of the poets and historians, of the picturesque, of the past, of retrospect, of mementos and reverberations of greatness.
1915 G. H. Perris Campaign 1914 iv. 67 It was one of the master-strokes of history; and the day has not come when any man can say where or when the reverberations will cease.
1977 N. Young Infantile Disorder? ix. 179 The reverberations of the first teach-ins and Vietnam Day demonstrations..were felt in Britain in late 1965.
2002 A. N. Wilson Victorians xxvi. 417 The murder sent reverberations far beyond the Russian borders.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > reflection > [noun] > reflected light
reflectionc1475
borrowed light1571
reflect1594
resultance1618
resultancy1628
reverberation1860
the world > matter > colour > colour relationships > [noun] > reflection
reflection1614
reflex1843
reverberation1860
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps 203 The colour is, no doubt, due to the optical reverberations which occur within a fissure or cavity formed in the snow.
1883 R. L. Stevenson & F. Stevenson Dynamiter in Wks. (1895) II. 55 A..lean-to shed.., in strong contrast to the room, was painted with a red reverberation as from furnace-doors.
Compounds
reverberation chamber n. Acoustics a room or chamber specially designed to cause a significant amount of reverberation.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > [noun] > echo chamber or instrument
whispering-placea1661
singing glass1669
sound-board1766
sounding-board1766
whispering-gallery1812
reverberation chamber1925
echo room1933
echo chamber1937
1925 U.S. Patent 1,545,697 2/1 A reflection-absorption chamber is interposed between the reverberation chamber and the stationary-wave-separating chamber.
1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. (rev. ed.) I. 665/2 Two types of rooms especially constructed for research and development are..the random diffusion or reverberation chamber and the anechoic room.
2001 F. A. Everest Master Handbk. Acoustics (ed. 4) xiii. 269 A very live room, such as a reverberation chamber, would show even greater variation.
reverberation time n. Acoustics an attribute of a room or enclosure expressed as the time taken for a sound in it to die away once it has stopped being produced.The measurement is typically based on a decrease in intensity of 60 decibels.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > resonance or sonority > [noun] > reverberation or echo > reverberation time
reverberation time1926
1926 Science 25 June (Suppl.) p. x The reverberation time had shrunk to six tenths of a second.
1952 Sci. News 23 83 Recent concert hall designs have included large quantities of polished wood as a surface finish in an endeavour to prevent the reverberation-time falling away at high frequencies.
2008 Nature 12 June 859/3 The duration of sound persistence, or reverberation time, is proportional to the volume of the space divided by the amount of sound-absorbing material.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2010; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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