susurration
pronunciation
How to pronounce susurration in British English:
UK [sju:sə'reɪʃən]
How to pronounce susurration in American English:
US [sjusə'reɪʃən]
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- Noun:
- the indistinct sound of people whispering
- speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
Word Origin
- susurration (n.)
- "a whispering, a murmur," c. 1400, from Latin susurrationem (nominative susurratio), from past participle stem of susurrare "to hum, murmur," from susurrus "a murmur, whisper," a reduplication of the PIE imitative base *swer- (2) "to buzz, whisper" (cognates: Sanskrit svarati "sounds, resounds," Greek syrinx "flute," Latin surdus "dull, mute," Old Church Slavonic svirati "to whistle," Lithuanian surmo "pipe, shawm," German schwirren "to buzz," Old English swearm "a swarm").
Example
- 1. As I lifted my kayak paddle out of the waters of thomas bay in southeast alaska , I paused for a moment to listen to the soft susurration of rain on the surface of the water .