'Sonic' wascoined in 1923 from Latin 'sonus' (sound) — popularized by supersonic aviation.
Definition
Of, relating to, or using sound waves; having to do with the speed of sound.
The Full Story
Latin1923well-attested
Coined in English from Latin 'sonus' (a noise, a sound, a tone) with the adjectival suffix '-ic' (pertaining to, of the nature of), from Greek '-ikos.' The Latin noun 'sonus' derives from PIE *swenh₂- or *swónus (to sound, to resound), a root that spread across the Indo-European world: Sanskrit 'svánas' (sound, noise), Old English 'swinn' (melody, song), and Old Irish 'senn' (a playing of music). The word was created as a technical term in acoustics and gained broader
Did you know?
The term 'sonic boom' was first widely used during World War II, when fighter pilots began approaching the speed of sound and experienced violent shaking known as 'compressibility' — the barrier they were breaking was initially called the 'sound barrier' or 'sonic wall,' making 'sonic' one of the few Latin-derived words to enter popular culture through military aviation.
. The PIE root's original sense of vibration and resonance is preserved in the full family: Latin 'sonāre' (to sound) gave English 'sonata,' 'sonnet' (a little sound/song), 'resonance' (