# sounder

Pronunciation: US say "SOWN-dur" /ˈsaʊndɚ/; UK say "SOWN-duh" /ˈsaʊndə/

## Adjective

1. Comparative of sound. — comparative form of sound: more sound
   - Simple: Comparative of sound. Use this to say something is more solid, healthy, or sensible than another thing.
   - _The repaired bridge is sounder now than it has been in decades._
   - _The committee chose the sounder of the two arguments._

## Noun

2. A group of wild boar living and traveling together.
   - Simple: A group of wild pigs that feed and move around together.
   - _A sounder rooted through the undergrowth, leaving the soil churned for yards._
   - _The ranger reported a large sounder moving down toward the valley stream._
3. Something or someone that produces a sound.
   - Simple: A person or thing that makes a sound.
   - _Engineers installed a backup sounder in case the main alarm failed._
   - _The control panel links every sounder in the building to one switch._
4. A young wild boar, not yet fully grown.
   - Simple: A young wild pig.
   - _A sounder broke from the thicket just ahead of the older animals._
   - _The tracker noted the small prints of a sounder among the larger ones._
5. A fishfinder; an electronic device that locates fish underwater by emitting and reading sound waves.
   - Simple: An electronic device that finds fish underwater by using sound.
   - _Modern boats come fitted with a sounder that maps the lakebed and marks schools of fish._
   - _She watched arches appear on the sounder, signaling fish below the hull._
6. A device for measuring water depth at sea by taking soundings.
   - Simple: A tool used to measure how deep the water is at sea.
   - _The navigator relied on the ship's sounder to chart a safe course through the shoals._
   - _Before electronic instruments, a weighted sounder gave the only reliable read of depth._
7. A person who takes soundings, measuring water depth from a vessel.
   - Simple: A person whose job is to measure how deep the water is.
   - _The captain trusted the sounder's reading before steering into the narrow strait._
   - _Standing at the bow, the sounder lowered the lead and read the marked line._
8. A telegraph instrument used instead of a recording register, by which incoming messages are read by ear from the clicks it makes.
   - Simple: A telegraph tool that lets the operator read messages by listening to its clicks.
   - _Experienced telegraphers preferred the sounder, turning its clicks straight into words._
   - _The sounder clattered out the incoming message dot by dot._
9. A brief musical sequence used in television, radio, and similar media; a sting.
   - Simple: A short piece of music used in TV or radio to mark a moment.
   - _The producer dropped a punchy sounder between the interview and the ad break._
   - _Listeners recognized the station instantly from its familiar sounder._

## Noun

10. A medical instrument for listening to sounds within the body, such as those of the heart and lungs; a stethoscope. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A doctor's tool for listening to the heart, lungs, and other sounds inside the body.
   - _The physician hung the sounder around his neck before entering the ward._
   - _With the sounder, the nurse detected an irregular heartbeat._

## Origin

**Meaning 1** — This comes from Middle English soundere, from Old English ġesundra and Proto-Germanic *sundizô. It is the comparative of "sound" plus the suffix -er.
**Meanings 3, 8–10** — From Middle English soundar or sownere, formed from the word "sound" plus the agent suffix -er.
**Meanings 5–7** — This comes from French sonder.
**Meanings 2, 4** — Inherited from Middle English soundre, from Anglo-Norman soundre and Old Northern French sondre, taken from a Germanic language, probably Old English sunor ("herd of swine"). This traces back through Proto-West Germanic *suniʀu and Proto-Germanic *sunaz ("boar") to Proto-Indo-European *sewH- ("to bring forth, bear").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sounder (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).