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low frequency

low frequency

3 4.5
A sound or wave that has long waves and a low pitch
  • noun
  • /loʊ ˈfrikwənsi/
translation icon : baja frecuencia
  • The decrease occurs primarily at the low frequencies, explaining why the audiometric gap is larger in these tones.
  • sensitivity to low frequency
  • low frequency phonetic cues
  • low frequency range

It can capture sound and turn the sound into patterns of vibration on the skin from high to low frequency, which is exactly what the inner ear does.

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Examples

  • Placement of the Teflon prosthesis resulted in a significantly greater hearing gain at low frequencies and in significantly better air-bone gap closure at all frequencies in our study group.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Whales communicate over long distances by producing low frequency sounds that travel better through water.

  • Is that low frequency sounds of the sort that your voice is?

  • Usually just low, little low frequency parts.

  • Scanning is done at a lower frequency to keep power during tests acceptable.

    Academic text (2000)

  • If a faraway planet emits a light of low frequency and light of high frequency, which one of them will win the race and reach us first?

    StarTalk

  • The total spectral power of the perfusion signal (Figure 2, bottom) shows a major peak in the low frequency range.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The audiologist noted that the patient's hearing loss was more pronounced at the low frequencys.

  • During the concert, the low frequency bass reverberated through the entire venue, creating an immersive experience.

Synonyms

low pitch
vslow frequency
1 3.4

A deep sound that you hear in music or a person's voice

applies to waves with fewer cycles, covering sound and electromagnetic ranges

Antonyms

high frequency
6 4.1

A sound made by very fast vibrations that we hear as high

How High

ultrasound
  • Specialized
13 3.7
mid-channel
  • Specialized
7.1
low frequency
3 4.5
infrasound
  • Specialized
3 8.2

Surface Forms

low frequency singular
low frequencies plural

Morphology

low + frequency

The meaning is directly compositional: 'low' (reduced amount/level) modifies 'frequency' (rate or number of occurrences), so together they denote a frequency at the lower end of a scale. This straightforward modifier+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and easily inferred by a B1 learner who knows both constituents, though precise technical distinctions (e.g. acoustic pitch vs. event rate) may require context.

Etymology

The noun low frequency comes from the image of slow, heavy vibrations: low means deep and frequency is how often the sound repeats. So low frequency describes sounds or signals with a deep 'low pitch', like elephant rumbles or the bass from a subwoofer.