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Glite Dictionary
acousma

acousma

9.9
Hearing strange sounds that are not words and have no real source
  • noun
  • /əˈkuːzmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acousma
  • Hearing an unexplained buzzing or humming is a common form of acousma.

Examples

  • In psychiatric evaluation, acousma should be distinguished from hallucinations involving voices.

  • The patient reported experiencing frequent acousma during quiet moments in the evening.

  • She experienced an acousma while meditating.

  • The patient reported hearing an acousma during the therapy session.

  • In a quiet room, he often heard an unexplained buzzing, which he recognized as acousma.

  • During her meditation, she experienced a strange ringing sound, a type of acousma.

  • The doctor explained that experiencing nonverbal sounds without an external source is known as acousma.

Synonyms

auditory hallucination
vsacousma
  • Specialized
3 7.9

Hearing voices or sounds that are not there

refers specifically to nonverbal strange sounds rather than voices

Surface Forms

acousma singular
acousmas plural

Etymology

The word acousma comes from the ancient Greek root akouein, meaning 'to hear', and originally meant 'something heard'. You can see the same root in acoustic, which is about sound, so an acousma is literally a 'heard thing', a strange sound you notice that seems to have no outside source.