sonic

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈsɒn.ɪk/, US /ˈsɑː.nɪk/^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin sonus (“sound”) (see sound) and -ic,^[2][3][4][5] perhaps on the pattern of phonic.^[2] The Latin word is from Proto-Indo-European *swen- (“to sound”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Done by means of sound waves: 1923, in American English.^[2][3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

It was used of sound in general, especially within the audible range, from 1936,^[6] and sonically is from the same year.^[6] The sonic boom, the shock wave of an aircraft going faster than sound, is from 1952,^[2][3] and sonic bang and sonic barrier from 1953.^[6]

Timeline

• 1923 – using sound waves.^[2][6]
• 1936 – of sound in general.^[6]
• 1952 – sonic boom.^[2][3]
• 1953 – sonic barrier.^[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Of, involving or producing sound.
2. Having a speed about equal to that of sound in air.
3. (informal) Extremely exciting and fast-paced.

Word family

• sonically
• quadrasonic
• sonicate
• sonics
• hypersonic
• infrasonic
• subsonic
• supersonic

Related words

• sound
• sonar
• ultrasonic

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 f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press