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infrasonic

infrasonic

1 8.9
Very low sound waves that people cannot hear
  • adjective
  • /ˌɪnfrəˈsɒnɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : infrasonido
  • Elephant communication often relies on infrasonic waves to travel long distances that are inaudible to humans.
  • infrasonic microphones
  • infrasonic signals

Examples

  • She bellows into the air, sending out a sound wave that rings across the Savannah, but it travels even further through the earth as infrasonic rumbles.

  • The infrasonic sounds produced by the storm were detected by specialized equipment, indicating its intensity.

  • Scientists study infrasonic waves to understand natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

Synonyms

silent
vsinfrasonic
  • Specialized
10 7.6

Too high or too low for people to hear

is limited to sounds with frequencies below human hearing, not above

How High

ultrasonic
  • Specialized
10 6.4
midrange
  • Specialized
5.3
infrasonic
  • Specialized
1 8.9

Surface Forms

infrasonic positive

Morphology

infrasonic = sonic (semi-transparent) = infra + sonic

The parts literally mean 'below' + 'relating to sound', but both 'infra-' and 'sonic' are technical combining forms, so the meaning may not be obvious to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Infrasonic comes from infra- meaning 'below' and sonic meaning 'sound', as in the everyday word sonic or the phrase 'sonic boom'. So infrasonic describes sounds that are 'below' what humans can hear.