echo

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɛk.əʊ/ (UK); /ˈɛk.oʊ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English ecko, eccho, borrowed from Old French echo and Latin ēchō,^[2][3][4] from Greek ἠχώ (ēkhṓ, “echo”),^[2][5] from or related to ἠχή (ēkhḗ, “sound”) and ἠχέω (ēkhéō), to resound,^[5][3] from PIE *(s)wāgh-, to resound, source also of Latin vāgīre, to cry, and Old English swōgan, to resound.^[5][2][4] In Greek mythology Echo was a mountain nymph who pined for love of Narcissus until only her voice remained.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A sound repeated by reflection: 1340, in the Ayenbite of Inwit.^[2][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The modern spelling echo was introduced in the 17th century in imitation of Latin.^[2] The verb is from before 1559 (the 1550s, intransitive), and transitive from about 1600.^[2][5] The personified Echo is from 1592,^[7] to applaud to the echo from 1605,^[7] and a verse device repeating the end of the previous line from 1633.^[7] A radio echo is from 1928,^[7] and a radar echo from 1944.^[7] Echoic was proposed in 1880 by James Murray, first editor of the OED, for words imitating sounds.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1340 – a reflected sound.^[2]
• before 1559 – to echo (verb).^[2]
• 1592 – Echo personified.^[7]
• 1633 – echo verse.^[7]
• 1880 – echoic.^[2]
• 1928 – a radio echo.^[7]
• 1944 – a radar echo.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sound repeated by reflection from a surface, or the reflected sound.
2. A repetition or imitation, as of opinions.
3. A reminder or trace of something past.
4. A reflected radio or radar wave.

Verb

1. To repeat a sound by reflection; to reverberate.
2. To repeat or imitate the words or opinions of another.

Word family

• echoer
• echoey
• echoless
• anechoic
• echocardiogram
• echocardiography
• echogenic
• echogram

Related words

• echoic
• echolocation
• catechism
• Narcissus

Usage notes

Echo is also the communications code word for the letter E.^[8]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins