Word of the Day

: June 5, 2014

sound

adjective SOUND

What It Means

1 a : free from disease, injury, defect, or error

b : in good condition : solid and strong

2 : showing good judgment

3 : complete or thorough b of sleep : deep and restful

sound in Context

The ideal candidate for the position is a proven leader who can make sound decisions and carry out a creative vision.

"All submitted works must be structurally sound enough to withstand some handling, touching, and possible physical stress." - The Herald (New Britain, Connecticut), May 11, 2014

Did You Know?

English contains several "sound" homographs, all with distinct histories. For example, the "sound" that means "something heard" descends from Latin "sonus" ("sound"), whereas the "sound" that means "to measure the depth of water" traces to Old French "sonde" ("sounding line"). Today's word, however, is the contemporary form of Old English's "gesund." "Gesund" is related to several words in other languages, such as Old Saxon "gisund" ("sound"), Old Frisian "sund" ("fresh, unharmed, healthy"), and Gothic "swinths" ("sound" or "healthy"). Another relative is Old High German's "gisunt" ("healthy"), which led to modern German's "gesund," the root of "gesundheit."