# sounding

Pronunciation: say "SOWN-ding" /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of sound. — present participle and gerund of sound
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of sound. Use this form for an action happening now or as the name of the action.
   - _The church bells were sounding across the valley as evening fell._
   - _Sounding the ocean floor, the crew lowered a weighted line over the side._

## Noun

2. The act or process of producing a sound.
   - Simple: The act of making a sound or causing one to be heard.
   - _The sounding of the great organ filled the cathedral._
   - _At dawn the sounding of bugles signaled the camp to rise._
4. A measurement of the depth of water at a particular point.
   - Simple: A measurement of how deep the water is at a certain spot.
   - _The pilot ordered a fresh sounding as the channel narrowed._
   - _Charts are built from thousands of soundings taken across the bay._
5. A test or examination carried out with a probe or sonde.
   - Simple: A test done with a probe or a special measuring tool.
   - _The physician ordered a sounding to assess the narrowing of the passage._
   - _Meteorologists release balloons to take a sounding of temperature and humidity aloft._
7. A place in the ocean or other body of water shallow enough for a weighted line to reach the bottom.
   - Simple: A part of the sea shallow enough for a weighted line to touch the bottom.
   - _By midnight the vessel had reached soundings, and the crew slowed her speed._
   - _The frigate stood off soundings, in water far too deep for the lead to find bottom._
8. The act of inserting a thin metal rod into the urethra of the penis for medical or sexual purposes.
   - Simple: Putting a thin metal rod into the tube that carries urine out of the penis, for medical or sexual reasons.
   - _A medical sounding can dilate a stricture in the urethra._
   - _Practitioners warn that improper sounding carries a real risk of infection._
9. The sand, shells, and other material brought up by a weighted lead once it has touched the bottom.
   - Simple: The sand, shells, or mud that a weighted line brings up after touching the seabed.
   - _The mate examined the sounding clinging to the tallow on the lead._
   - _Soundings of soft mud told the navigator they had entered the estuary._

## Adjective

3. Giving off or emitting a sound.
   - Simple: Making a sound or giving off noise.
   - _The sounding brass of the orchestra rang through the hall._
   - _A sounding alarm filled the corridor as the drill began._
6. Rich and full in sound; resonant or sonorous.
   - Simple: Having a deep, full, ringing sound.
   - _The choir filled the nave with sounding harmonies._
   - _His sounding baritone carried easily to the back rows._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 6** — Formed from the verb "sound" ("to produce a sound") with the suffix "-ing".
**Meanings 4–5, 7–9** — Formed from the verb "sound" ("to examine with the instrument called a sound, or by auscultation or percussion") with the suffix "-ing".

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