adjective
1.
Phonetics. voiceless ( opposed to sonant ).
2.
Mathematics. (of a quantity) not capable of being expressed in rational numbers; irrational.
Origin:
1545–55; < Latin surdus dull-sounding, mute, deaf
1545–55; < Latin surdus dull-sounding, mute, deaf
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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|
Link To surd
00:10
Surd
is always a great word to know.
So is voiceless. Does it mean:
| uttered without phonation |
| the degree of obstruction or the type of channel imposed upon the passage of air at a given place of articulation like stop, fricative, nasal, semivowel |
Collins
World English Dictionary
surd (sɜːd) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | maths an expression containing one or more irrational roots of numbers, such as 2√3 + 3√2 + 6 |
| 2. | phonetics a voiceless consonant, such as () |
| —adj | |
| 3. | of or relating to a surd |
| [C16: from Latin surdus muffled] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
surd
1551, "irrational" (of numbers), from L. surdus "unheard, silent, dull," possibly related to susurrus "a muttering, whispering" (see susurration). The mathematical sense is from the use of L. surdus to translate Ar. (jadhr) asamm "deaf (root)," itself a loan-translation
of Gk. alogos, lit. "speechless, without reason" (Euclid bk. x, Def.). In Fr., sourd remains the principal word for "deaf."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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