surd

Meanings

Plural: surds

Noun

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

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

sonant, voiced

Scrabble Score: 5

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

Words With Friends Score: 6

surd is a valid Words With Friends word