Definition of SURD

surd

Plural: surds

Noun

  • A voiceless speech sound; an irrational number or quantity.
  • a consonant produced without sound from the vocal cords
  • An irrational number, especially one expressed using the √ symbol.
  • A voiceless consonant.

Adjective

  • produced without vibration of the vocal cords

Adj

  • Lacking the sense of hearing; deaf.
  • unheard
  • Involving surds, or irrational numbers; not capable of being expressed in rational numbers.
  • unvoiced; voiceless

Examples

  • The word ’SURD’ can be a lifesaver with tricky letter combinations on your Words With Friends rack.

Origin / Etymology

First attested in the mid 16th century from Latin surdus (“deaf, mute”), used in mathematics for “irrational,” reflecting ἄλογος (álogos, “irrational, speechless”) as found in Euclid, apparently transmitted via Arabic جِذْر أَصَمّ (jiḏr ʔaṣamm, “deaf root”). The phonetic sense, “voiceless,” emerged in the 18th century. Doublet of surdo.

Synonyms

hard, unvoiced, voiceless, voiceless consonant

Antonyms

voiced, sonant

Scrabble Score: 5

surd: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
surd: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
surd: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 6

surd: valid Words With Friends Word