nonreverberant
|non-re-ver-ber-ant|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑn.rɪˈvɝbərənt/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒn.rɪˈvɜːbərənt/
without echo / without reflected sound
Etymology
'nonreverberant' originates from English, specifically the prefix 'non-' + the adjective 'reverberant', where 'non-' meant 'not' and 'reverberant' ultimately comes from Latin 'reverberare' meaning 'to strike back' or 'beat back'.
'reverberant' is derived from Latin 'reverberare' (to beat back, to strike back); through Late Latin and via the verb/adjective formations in English ('reverberate' → 'reverberant') the modern adjective 'reverberant' developed, and the productive English prefix 'non-' was later added to form 'nonreverberant'.
Initially related to the idea of 'striking back' (physical beating or striking), the sense shifted in acoustic contexts to 'sound being reflected or thrown back', and 'nonreverberant' now specifically denotes the absence of such sound reflection.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not reverberant; lacking reverberation or prolonged echoing of sound (used especially in acoustics to describe a space or surface that does not reflect sound strongly).
The recording booth was intentionally nonreverberant to capture a dry, direct vocal sound.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/06 13:17