decibel
Pluraldecibels
- 1A unit equal to one tenth of a bel, used to measure the intensity of a sound or signal on a logarithmic scale.
Like the Richter scale for earthquakes, each step up represents a much bigger jump than the small numbers suggest.
Sound engineers keep the mix below a set decibel level to protect listeners' ears.
City regulations cap nighttime noise at fifty-five decibels.
Note
This unit measures a ratio, not an amount: it compares two intensities through dB = 10 log₁₀(P₁/P₂). Because the scale is logarithmic, every added ten decibels multiplies intensity tenfold, so twenty decibels means a hundredfold ratio, not twice ten. A bare figure such as fifty-five decibels therefore always implies some agreed reference intensity standing in for P₂. The name is plain deci- plus bel.
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Origin
Formed from the prefix "deci-" combined with "bel."