English → Latin
“sound” in Latin
sonussound, noise; pitch; speech; tone, character, style; voice, tonguesonōto sound, resound, make a sound or noise (and various sounds in-context); to sound, utter, speak, express, call; to cry vōxvoice; accent; speech, remark, expression, (turn of) phrasetinniōto ring, jingle, clink; to pay (with the clinking of coins); to cry, scream in a shrill voiceclangorclang, crash, noise; blast (of a trumpet); sound (of a horn)strepituswild din, noise, racket, crash; a measured soundcrepitusa rattling, creaking, rustling, clattering; flatulencetonusThe stretching or straining of a rope.; A strain; tension.; The pitch, sound or tone of something.fretumstrait, sound, estuary, channel.; the seas.; turmoilsēpiaa cuttlefish; the secretion of a cuttlefish used as ink
The English word sound itself goes back to Latin sonus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
sound s.
A noise, sonus (the thing): sonitus (a sounding, the giving of a sound): vox (voice): tinnitus (clang, tinkling, ringing): clangor (clapping, flapping): strepitus (rustling): crepitus (clear, sharp, crashing, rattling): tonus (a tone, in music; ☞ modulatio is the melodious combination of sounds in music, not sound itself). To have a sound, sonare: to give or emit a sound, sonum or vocem, etc. edere: empty sound of words, inanis verborum sonitus; tinnitus (Tac., Dial., 26, in.).
A probe, Vid:
A shallow sea, fretum.
A cuttle-fish, sepia.
sound adj.
sanus: validus (healthy): rectus, integer (right). I am safe and sound, salvus sum et incolumis: sound sleep, somnus artus, plenus: a sound constitution, firma corporis constitutio; corpus bene constitutum: a sound mind in a healthy body, mens sana in corpore sano (Juv.., 10, 356): to get a sound beating, vehementer vapulare: to give a sound beating, verberibus or flagris implere; male mulcare; verberibus subigere or irrigare; verberibus mulcare (all comic): to give a sound scolding to, graviter increpare aliquem; acerbe et contumeliose in aliquem invehi. ROBERTSON: probandus.
sound v.
Intransitively, To give a sound, sonare.: sonum edere or reddere (PROP.). That sounds well, hoc bene sonat (PROP.): oratio honesta est (figuratively).
Transitively, To sound a signal, canere classicum: to sound a retreat, receptui canere; signum receptui dare (Liv.); milites tuba revocare: to sound (a trumpet, etc.), inflare (buccinam, etc.): to sound the praises of anything, magnifice praedicare aliquid; buccinatorem alicujus rei esse (Cic., Fit. Fam., 16, 21).
PROP., To try the depth of water, *cataprorata uti; *maris altitudinem cataprorata tentare (after Isidorus, Orig., 19, 4; Vid: Freund, cataprorates):
Figuratively, To try, voluntatem alicujus perscrutari (Cic.); animum alicujus scrutari (Cic.) or explorare; degustare aliquem (used playfully, to see what is in him); pertentare alicujus animum; sciscitari quid cogitet (to try and find out his sentiments).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for sound?
- The usual Latin words for “sound” are sonus, sonō, vōx; also tinniō, clangor, strepitus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.