Etymologically
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acoustique

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 21:25. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /a.kus.tik/[1]

Forms

acoustique (plural acoustiques)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἀκουστικός (akoustikós, “of hearing”),[2][3][4][5] from ἀκούω (akoúō, “to hear”);[3][1] the word was proposed by the mathematician and physicist Joseph Sauveur (1653–1716).[2][3][6] Wiktionary takes it through New Latin acousticus.[1] Rey notes that “akouein” was long explained as a compound of “ous” “ear”, but is now rather linked with “koein” “to perceive” and Latin caveō (“to beware”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1700 it appears in the Histoire de l'Académie des sciences as the name of the science of sound, alongside optics, and at the same time as an adjective;[7][2] Furetière (1701) has nerf and conduit acoustique.[2]

Semantic evolution

The adjective was first used in medicine, of remedies for deafness, and in anatomy (nerf acoustique).[2] From 1752 it described instruments aiding hearing, as in cornet acoustique (1762) and tuyau acoustique, and places that carry sound well.[2][6] At the end of the 19th century the noun came to mean the acoustics of a room.[2][6] Acousticien dates from 1826.[2] A guitare acoustique is one that is not electric.[8]

Timeline

  • 1700 – The noun and adjective, in Sauveur's work for the Académie des sciences.[7]
  • 1701 – Nerf acoustique in Furetière.[2]
  • 1752 – Of hearing aids.[2]
  • 1762 – Cornet acoustique.[2]
  • 1826 – Acousticien.[2]
  • Late 19th century – The acoustics of a room.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Acoustic, of hearing: nerf acoustique.[8][9]
  2. Aiding hearing or carrying sound: cornet acoustique, tuyau acoustique.[8][6]
  3. Of sound: ondes acoustiques, isolation acoustique.[8][10]
  4. Of an instrument, not amplified: guitare acoustique.[8]

Noun

  1. (feminine) Acoustics, the science of sound.[8][6]
  2. (feminine) The acoustics of a place: la salle a une bonne acoustique.[6][9]

Word family

  • acousticien
  • acoustiquement
  • acousmatique
  • Ancient Greek ἀκούω (akoúō)
  • English acoustic

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 24, 277b
  6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  8. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)