infrasound

I1N1F4R1A1S1O1U1N1D2

noun

Sound waves having a frequency below the human audible range (below about 20 Hz).

Opposite
ultrasound
OriginEnglish sound ← Latin īnfrā ← Proto-Italic *ferō →
UncommonScrabble 14
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Meanings

nouninfrasound (countable and uncountable, plural infrasounds)

plural infrasounds

  1. countableuncountablenatural sciencesSound waves having a frequency below the human audible range (below about 20 Hz).
    1 more example

    Elcor speech is ponderous and monotone. Among themselves, scent, slight movements, and subvocalized infrasound convey shades of meaning that make a human smile seem as subtle as a fireworks display. Since their subtlety can lead to misunderstandings with other species, the elcor often go out of their way to clarify when they are being sarcastic, amused, or angry.

    2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Elcor Codex entry

Synonyms & antonyms

Opposite
ultrasound

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Latinin-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*bʰer-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéreti
  7. Proto-Italic*ferō
  8. Latinferō
  9. Latinīnferō
  10. Latinīnfrā
  11. Englishinfra-
  12. Englishsound
  13. Englishinfrasound

From infra- + sound.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan infrasò
  • infrasòlow-frequency sound waves
Chinese Mandarin 次声波, 次声
  • 次声波 (cìshēngbō)low-frequency sound waves
  • 次声 (cìshēng)low-frequency sound waves
Finnish infraääni
  • infraäänilow-frequency sound waves
French infrason, infra-son
  • infrasonlow-frequency sound waves
  • infra-sonlow-frequency sound waves
German Infraschall
  • Infraschalllow-frequency sound waves
Irish infreafhuaim
  • infreafhuaimlow-frequency sound waves
Japanese 超低周波音
  • 超低周波音 (chōteishūhaon)low-frequency sound waves
Malay infrabunyi
  • infrabunyilow-frequency sound waves
Russian инфразву́к
  • инфразву́к (infrazvúk)low-frequency sound waves
Spanish infrasonido
  • infrasonidolow-frequency sound waves
Swedish infraljud
  • infraljudlow-frequency sound waves
Turkish infrason
  • infrasonlow-frequency sound waves
Cite this entry
APA

infrasound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infrasound

MLA

“infrasound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infrasound. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “infrasound,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infrasound.

Source: infrasound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.