sound
/ˈsaʊ̯nd/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.15 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adv
Example Sentences
- "He was safe and sound."
- "In horse management a sound horse is one with no health problems that might affect its suitability for its intended work."
- "on the 29th of September 1840, in consideration that the plaintiff, at the request of the defendant, had bought of the defendant a certain horse, at a certain price, to wit, 30l., the defendant promised plaintiff that the horse did not exceed five years off, and that it was sound in wind and limb, perfect in vision, and free from vice; […]"
- "Fred assured me the floorboards were sound."
- "The brasswork here, how rich it is in beams, / And how, besides, it makes the whole house sound."
- "Refurbishing Okehampton station, kept basically sound under ownership by Devon Council, remains a work in progress and scheduled for completion next spring."
Etymology
From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund (“sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous”), from Proto-West Germanic *sund, from Proto-Germanic *sundaz (“healthy”), merged with synonymous Old English ġesund, from Proto-West Germanic *gasund. Cognate with Scots sound, soun (“healthy, sound”), Saterland Frisian suund, gesuund (“healthy”), West Frisian sûn (“healthy”), Dutch gezond (“healthy, sound”), Low German sund, gesund (“healthy”), German gesund (“healthy, sound”), Danish sund (“healthy”), Swedish sund (“sound, healthy”). Possibly related also to Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick”), German geschwind (“fast, quick”), Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”). See swith.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: sound, sund, *sund, *sundaz, ġesund, *gasund
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsaʊ̯nd/
- British English: /ˈsaʊ̯nd/
Usage
Inflected Forms
sounder (comparative)
soundest (superlative)
soune (alternative, obsolete)
sownd (alternative, obsolete)
sowne (alternative, obsolete)
more sound (comparative)
most sound (superlative)
sounds (plural)
sounds (present, singular)
sounding (participle, present)
sounded (participle, past)
sounded (past)