transonicadj.
/trɑːnˈsɒnɪk/, /tranˈsɒnɪk/, U.S. /træn(t)ˈsɑnɪk/ Pertaining to, involving, capable of, or designating speeds close to that of sound, at which some of the flow round a body is supersonic and some subsonic and there are characteristic changes in the behaviour of an aircraft.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > rate of motion > [adjective] > greater or less than speed of sound
supersonic1932
subsonic1936
infrasonic1942
ultrasonic1942
hypersonic1946
transonic1946
1946 Britannica Bk. of Year (U.S.) 833/2 Trans-sonic, speeds ranging from 550 to 760 m.p.h.
1946 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 50 436/1 I propose to say a little about ‘supersonic’ aerodynamics first, and then to return to the so-called ‘transonic’ region, which presents the most difficult problem of all.
1948 ‘N. Shute’ No Highway xii. 294 The forces on the structure [of an aircraft] were still very much a matter of guesswork in the trans-sonic range.
1966 New Scientist 20 Jan. 135/1 A critical phase is reached as the aircraft goes ‘transonic’; that is, as it accelerates through the speed band from just below to just above the speed of sound.
1977 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts 125 347/1 Notable examples [of development] since World War II have been jet propulsion, transonic and supersonic aerodynamics, [etc.].
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1946