surd

See also: sùrd

English

Etymology

First attested in the mid 16th century from Latin surdus (“deaf, mute”), used in mathematics for “irrational,” reflecting ἄλογος (álogos, “irrational, speechless”) as found in Euclid, apparently transmitted via Arabic جِذْر أَصَمّ (jiḏr ʔaṣamm, “deaf root”). The phonetic sense, “voiceless,” emerged in the 18th century. Doublet of surdo.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General Australian) IPA^(key): /sɜːd/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) enPR: sûrd, IPA^(key): /sɝd/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /sʌɹd/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /søːd/
• (Liverpool, fair–fur merger) IPA^(key): /seːd/
• (Humberside, Teesside, fair–fur merger) IPA^(key): /sɛːd/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)d

Noun

surd (plural surds)

1. (arithmetic) An irrational number, especially one expressed using the √ symbol.
2. (linguistics) A voiceless consonant.

   Antonym: sonant

Derived terms

• quadratic surd

Adjective

surd (comparative more surd, superlative most surd)

1. (obsolete) Lacking the sense of hearing; deaf.
   • 1670s, published 1716, Thomas Browne, Christian Morals, part 3, section 6:

     …how all Words fall to the Ground, spent upon such a surd and Earless Generation of Men, stupid unto all Instruction…

2. (obsolete) unheard
   • 1773, William Kenrick, A New Dictionary of the English Language, section 3, page 5:

     To this errour, of blending the ſurd and vocal modes of articulation together, may be added the too frequent uſe of compound articulations both vocal and ſurd.

3. (mathematics) Involving surds, or irrational numbers; not capable of being expressed in rational numbers.

   a surd expression or quantity; a surd number

4. (phonetics) unvoiced; voiceless

   Antonym: sonant

Related terms

• absurd

Anagrams

• RUDs, Ruds, UDRS, Urds, ruds

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• surdu, nsurdu

Etymology

From Latin surdus. Compare Romanian surd.

Adjective

surd m (feminine surde, plural surdz, feminine plural surdi)

1. deaf

Related terms

• surdzest

Romanian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin surdus, from Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“ringing, whistling”). Compare Aromanian surdu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /surd/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

surd m or n (feminine singular surdă, masculine plural surzi, feminine and neuter plural surde)

1. deaf

Declension

Declension of surd

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	surd		surdă		surzi	surde
	definite	surdul		surda		surzii	surdele
genitive- dative	indefinite	surd		surde		surzi	surde
	definite	surdului		surdei		surzilor	surdelor

Related terms

• asurzi
• surditate
• surzi

See also

• auzi
• mut
• orb