ultrasonic

Etymology

It is formed from English ultra- + sonic, "beyond" the range of sound.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The adjective is from Latin sonus (“sound”), from Proto-Indo-European *swen- (“to sound”),^[3] and the prefix from ultrā (“beyond”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of sound waves or vibrations with a frequency above the range of human hearing, and of devices using them: 1923,^[2][5][4][3] in the Proceedings and Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes that supersonic was first used, from 1919, for frequencies above the audible range, but from 1934 came to mean "faster than sound", leaving the frequency sense to ultrasonic.^[3] The OED calls ultrasonic the more usual of the two words in that sense,^[2] and records a rare use of it for speeds above that of sound from 1942.^[2] The Shorter Oxford notes its use especially of devices and techniques that rely on the reflection of such waves.^[6] The plural noun ultrasonics meant ultrasonic waves from 1924, and the science of ultrasonic phenomena from 1940.^[4]

Timeline

• 1923 – of frequencies above human hearing; using such waves.^[2][4]
• 1924 – ultrasonics, ultrasonic waves.^[4]
• 1940 – ultrasonics, the science of ultrasonic phenomena.^[4]
• 1942 – faster than sound (rare).^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of, relating to or producing sound waves or vibrations with a frequency above the range of human hearing, above about 15–20 kHz: The jeweller cleaned the ring in an ultrasonic bath.^[7][6][2]
2. Worked by such waves or using their reflection: an ultrasonic depth gauge.^[2][6]
3. (rare) Faster than sound; supersonic.^[2][6]

Noun

1. An ultrasonic wave or frequency.^[5]

Word family

• ultrasonically

Related words

• ultrasound
• ultrasonics
• sonic
• supersonic
• ultra-

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins