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acoustic buoy

acoustic buoy

7.7
A floating marker that makes sound to help ships find their way
  • noun
  • /əˈkuːstɪk bɔɪ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : boya acústica
  • The ship's crew relied on the acoustic buoy to guide their way through dense fog.

Examples

  • At night, the sound from the acoustic buoy helped fishermen locate the harbor entrance.

  • Engineers installed a new acoustic buoy near the rocky coastline for safer navigation.

  • The acoustic buoy sounded loudly during the storm.

  • Did you hear the acoustic buoy last night?

  • At night, the sound from the acoustic buoy helped fishermen locate the harbor entrance.

  • Engineers installed a new acoustic buoy near the rocky coastline for safer navigation.

  • The ship's crew relied on the acoustic buoy to guide their way through dense fog.

Synonyms

bell buoy
vsacoustic buoy
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A floating marker with a bell that rings when it moves to warn boats

focuses on any audible warning designed for low visibility conditions
whistle buoy
vsacoustic buoy
  • Specialized
8.4

A floating marker that makes a loud sharp sound to guide ships

uses an audible device meant to be heard in poor visibility
whistling buoy
vsacoustic buoy
  • Specialized
9.1

A floating marker that makes a whistling sound to warn ships of danger

is a general sound device used for being heard at night
gong buoy
vsacoustic buoy
  • Specialized
9.6

A floating marker with a bell that rings to guide ships

is a broader category for devices meant to be heard when visibility is poor

Surface Forms

acoustic buoy singular

Morphology

acoustic + buoy

The meaning is directly compositional: 'acoustic' (relating to sound) modifies 'buoy' (a floating navigational marker), so a buoy that produces or transmits sound is immediately inferable. This straightforward modifier+noun construction is common cross-linguistically and follows regular English word-formation, so a B1 learner who knows both words should understand it.

Etymology

Acoustic buoy comes from the words acoustic, meaning 'sound', and buoy, a floating marker. It is a buoy that makes a sound so boats can 'find the way' in fog or at night, which is why it means 'a buoy with a sound device'.