loudspeaker
/ˈlaʊdspiːkɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.95 in modern English
18
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An electromechanical transducer that converts an electrical signal into audible sound.
noun
Any such transducer that is loud, as opposed to quiet ones such as those found in headphones.
noun
An encasing containing one or more loudspeaker devices and usually other electrical equipment such as a driver.
Example Sentences
- "Unintelligible announcements on station loudspeakers are both irritating and confusing."
- "Beijing itself signified the transformation. When I visited in 1979 it was a grim city where every pedestrian dressed in a drab gray Mao jacket and every street corner had a loudspeaker repeating the sayings of Mao. The city was desolate and joyless."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *ḱlutós Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz Proto-West Germanic *hlūd Old English hlūd Middle English loude, loud, lud English loud Proto-Indo-European *spregʰ-? Proto-Indo-European *spreg-? Proto-Germanic *sprekaną Proto-West Germanic *sprekan Old English sprecan Old English specan Middle English speken Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere Middle English spekere, speker English speaker English loudspeaker From loud + speaker.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈlaʊdspiːkɚ/
- British English: /laʊdˈspiːkə/