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Glite Dictionary
🌊 Water depth device 🐗 Group of pigs
sounder

sounder

11 7.9
A device that measures water depth by sending sound and listening for its return
  • noun
  • /ˈsaʊndər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sonda de profundidad
  • The sounder probe of that mission was dropped into the planet's atmosphere to measure the net thermal flux.
  • depth sounder
  • echo sounder

Examples

  • A NWHI commercial fisherman using a chromoscope depth sounder observed an opakapaka aggregation at about 150 m become very dense during the mid-morning hours.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Most observed vessels utilized a transducer, or net sounder, placed on either the headrope or footrope to determine the depth and opening of the net.

    Academic text (1994)

  • When fishing in deep waters, we always rely on our sounder to find the best spots.

  • The fisherman checked the sounder to ensure he wasn't sailing into shallow areas.

  • Using the sounder, the crew detected a sunken ship beneath the waves.

Synonyms

sonar
vssounder
  • Specialized
79 4.0

A device that uses sound to find objects under water

is mainly for timing reflections to measure depth as well as find objects
echo sounder
vssounder
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A device that measures water depth by sending sound and timing the echo

measures depth or detects submerged objects by timing reflected sound
depth finder
vssounder
  • Specialized
1 5.0

A device that shows how deep the water is

relies specifically on timing of sound reflections rather than radar methods
sonic depth finder
vssounder
  • Specialized
7.6

A device that uses sound waves to measure how deep water or things under it are

uses timing of reflected sound but focuses on both depth and object presence

Compounds

echo sounder
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A device that measures water depth by sending sound and timing the echo

How Advanced

sonar
  • Specialized
79 4.0
sonic depth finder
  • Specialized
7.6
sounder
  • Specialized
11 7.9
depth gauge
  • Specialized
1 5.9
lead line
  • Archaic
1 8.1

Surface Forms

sounder singular
sounders plural

Morphology

sounder = sound (semi-transparent) = sound + er

The form is a regular agent-noun derivation from 'sound', but the depth-measuring sense is technical and may not be obvious to learners who know only the ordinary meaning of 'sound'.

Etymology

The word sounder comes from the verb sound, which means 'to measure the depth of water' by sending a noise or a line into it, so a sounder is a device that 'sounds' the water to find how deep it is.