nonseismic
|non-seis-mic|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑnˈsaɪzmɪk/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒnˈsaɪzmɪk/
not earthquake-related
Etymology
'nonseismic' originates from English, formed by the negative prefix 'non-' (from Latin origin 'non' meaning 'not') combined with 'seismic' (from Greek 'seismos'), where 'seismos' meant 'earthquake' or 'shaking'.
'seismic' entered English in the 19th century via New Latin/French from Greek 'seismos' ('earthquake'). The modern English adjective 'seismic' developed from these forms, and 'non-' (an English productive negative prefix) was later attached to create 'nonseismic'.
Initially the elements meant 'not' + 'related to earthquake/shaking'; the combined form has retained this basic meaning as 'not related to seismic (earthquake) activity'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
not caused by, related to, or resulting from seismic activity (earthquakes); not seismic.
The investigators concluded the collapse was nonseismic and likely due to long-term soil subsidence.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/08/21 08:51