noise
/nɔɪz/
noun
Origin
Latin
nausea — seasickness, disgust, annoyance
Overview
Meaning Now
- A sound, especially one that is loud, unpleasant, or disturbs the peace.
- A lack of clarity in a signal or data caused by the presence of irrelevant information.
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
noise
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The word evolved from Latin 'nausea' (seasickness) into Old French 'noise' meaning 'strife' or 'quarrel'. The sense shifted during the Middle English period from the sound of a quarrel to loud or chaotic sounds in general.
Evolution
- Latin
nausea
“seasickness, nausea”
- Vulgar Latin
*noxia
“harmful thing, annoyance”
Shift from 'nausea' (sickness) to 'noxia' (harm/trouble) is hypothesized.
- Old French
noise
“strife, quarrel, altercation”
- Middle English
noise
“loud sound, clamor, quarrel”
Connections
Related across languages
Old French
strife, quarrel
Explore next
Related to noise
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.