Etymologically
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This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 04:32. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈfiːd.bæk/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English feed + back, a noun from the verb with the adverb.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In electronics, the return of a fraction of the output signal of a circuit to the input of an earlier stage: 1920.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

The control of a process or system by returning part of its output as input, as in biology and cybernetics, is from 1943.[4] Information about the results of a process or of someone's work, returned to those responsible, is attested by 1955.[2] The howling noise of a loudspeaker whose sound is picked up again by a microphone is also called feedback.[5][6]

Timeline

  • 1920 – in electronics.[2][4]
  • 1943 – control of a system.[4]
  • 1955 – information about results.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Comments or information about how well someone has done something, given as a guide: customer feedback.
  2. The return of part of the output of a system or circuit to its input, to control or modify it.
  3. A high, whistling noise made when a microphone picks up sound from its own loudspeaker.

Word family

  • biofeedback
  • feedback loop

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins