noise

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French noise (“a dispute, wrangle, strife, noise”); origin uncertain; according to some, from Latin nausea (“disgust, nausea”); according to others, from Latin noxia (“hurt, harm, damage, injury”); but neither explanation is satisfactory in regard to either form or sense.

Pronunciation

• enPR: noiz, IPA^(key): /nɔɪz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪz

Noun

noise (plural noises)

1. Various sounds, usually unwanted.

   He knew that it was trash day, when the garbage collectors made all the noise.

   • Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

     The heavens turn about in a most rapid motion without noise to us perceived.

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, The Unknown Ajax:

     Charles had not been employed above six months at Darracott Place, but he was not such a whopstraw as to make the least noise in the performance of his duties when his lordship was out of humour.

2. Sound or signal generated by random fluctuations.
3. (technology) Unwanted part of a signal. (Signal to noise ratio)
4. (genetics) The measured level of variation in gene expression among cells, regardless of source, within a supposedly identical population.
5. Rumour or complaint.

   The problems with the new computer system are causing a lot of noise at Head Office.

   • T. Baker

     What noise have we had about transplantation of diseases and transfusion of blood!

   • Spectator

     Socrates lived in Athens during the great plague which has made so much noise in all ages.

6. (obsolete) Music, in general; a concert; also, a company of musicians; a band.
   • Ben Jonson (1572-1637)

     The king has his noise of gypsies.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

Derived terms

• noises off
• noiseless

Synonyms

• (Various sounds): sound

Hyponyms

• (Various sounds): bang, boom, crash, thud

Translations

various sounds, usually unwanted

• Arabic: ضوضاء m (ḍawḍāʾ)
• Armenian: աղմուկ (hy) (ałmuk), աղաղակ (ałałak)
• Belarusian: шум m (šum)
• Bulgarian: шум (bg) m (šum)
• Catalan: soroll (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 噪音 (zh) (zàoyīn), 響聲, 响声 (zh) (xiǎngsheng)

• Czech: hluk (cs) m
• Danish: støj (da) c, larm (da) c, spektakel c
• Dutch: lawaai (nl) n, herrie (nl) f, geluid (nl) n
• Finnish: melu (fi)
• French: bruit (fr) m, vacarme (fr) m, brouhaha (fr) m
• Friulian: romôr m
• Georgian: ხმაური (xmauri)
• German: Lärm (de) m, Geräusch (de) n, Krach (de) m (as in Krach machen: to make a lot of noise)
• Hebrew: רעש m (ra'ash)
• Hungarian: zaj (hu), zörej (hu)
• Ido: bruiso (io)
• Italian: rumore (it) m
• Japanese: 雑音 (ざつおん, zatsuon), 騒音 (ja) (そうおん, sōon), ノイズ (noizu)
• Korean: 소음 (ko) (so-eum)

• Kurdish:

  Sorani: ده‌نگه‌ده‌گ

• Latin: strepitus m
• Maori: matioke
• Occitan: bruch (oc) m
• Persian: ونگ (fa) (vang)
• Polish: hałas (pl) m, szum (pl) m
• Portuguese: barulho (pt) m, ruído (pt) m
• Romanian: gălăgie (ro) f, larmă (ro) f, vacarm (ro) n, , zgomot (ro) n
• Russian: шум (ru) m (šum)
• Scottish Gaelic: fuaim m, faram m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шум m, бука f

  Roman: šum m, buka f

• Slovak: hluk m
• Slovene: hrup (sl) m
• Spanish: ruido (es) m
• Swahili: sura (sw)
• Swedish: oljud (sv) n, buller (sv) n
• Tok Pisin: nois
• Turkish: gürültü (tr)
• Ukrainian: шум (uk) m (šum)
• Walloon: brut (wa) m, araedje (wa) f

sound or signal generated by random fluctuations

• Catalan: soroll (ca) m
• Czech: šum m
• Danish: lyd (da) c
• Dutch: ruis (nl) m
• Finnish: kohina
• German: Rauschen (de) n, Störung (de) f
• Hebrew: רעש m
• Polish: szum (pl) m
• Portuguese: ruído (pt) m
• Romanian: zgomot (ro) n, sunet (ro) n

• Russian: шум (ru) m (šum)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шум m

  Roman: šum m

• Slovene: hrup (sl) m
• Spanish: ruido (es) m
• Swahili: sura (sw)
• Swedish: brus (sv) n
• Tok Pisin: nois

technical: unwanted part of a signal

• Catalan: soroll (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 噪音 (zh) (zàoyīn)

• Czech: šum m
• Danish: støj (da) c
• Dutch: ruis (nl) m
• Finnish: kohina
• German: Rauschen (de) n
• Hebrew: רעש m
• Polish: szum (pl) m

• Portuguese: ruído (pt) m
• Romanian: perturbație (ro) f, răsunet (ro) n, zgomot de semnal n
• Russian: шум (ru) m (šum), шумы (ru) m pl (šumý)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: шум m

  Roman: šum m

• Slovene: šum m
• Spanish: ruido (es) m
• Swahili: sura (sw)
• Swedish: brus (sv) n

level of variation in gene expression

• Finnish: kohina

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: trouz m, trouzoù pl
• French: bruit m
• Japanese: 音 (おと, oto) (as in a sound: 1), 騒音 (そうおん, sōon) (annoying noise, as produced by motor vehicles or neighbors partying: 1), ノイズ (noizu) (2-3)
• Lithuanian: triukšmas m

• Portuguese: barulho m
• Spanish: ruido m
• Swahili: kilele
• Telugu: శబ్దం (SabdaM), మోత (mOta), గోల (gOla)
• Turkish: gürültü, patırtı, şıltak

References

(Genetics meaning) "Noise in Gene Expression: Origins, Consequences, and Control." Jonathan M. Raser and Erin K. O'Shea (2005). Science. 309(5743):2010-2013.

Verb

noise (third-person singular simple present noises, present participle noising, simple past and past participle noised)

1. (intransitive) To make a noise; to sound.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)

2. (transitive) To spread news of; to spread as rumor or gossip.
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts II:

     When this was noysed aboute, the multitude cam togedder and were astonyed, because that every man herde them speake in his awne tongue.

Translations

make noise

• Swedish: brusa (sv), väsnas (sv)

External links

• noise in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• noise in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• noise at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• eosin
• NESOI

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French

Etymology

From Old French noise

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nwaz/

Noun

noise f (plural noises)

1. (archaic or literary) quarrel, argument

Anagrams

• noies

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Old French

Etymology

Origin uncertain; according to some, from Latin nausea (“disgust, nausea”), cf. Old Provençal nauza (“noise, quarrel”); according to others, from Latin noxia (“hurt, harm, damage, injury”); but neither explanation is satisfactory in regard to either form or sense.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnojzə/

Noun

noise f (oblique plural noises, nominative singular noise, nominative plural noises)

1. dispute, argument
2. noise, sound

Descendants

• English: noise
• French: noise