Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Sound or a sound that is loud, unpleasant, unexpected, or undesired.
  • noun Sound or a sound of any kind.
  • noun A loud outcry or commotion.
  • noun Physics A disturbance, especially a random and persistent disturbance, that obscures or reduces the clarity of a signal.
  • noun Computers Irrelevant or meaningless data.
  • noun A complaint or protest.
  • noun Rumor; talk.
  • noun Remarks or actions intended to convey a specific impression or to attract attention.
  • transitive verb To spread the rumor or report of.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To sound.
  • To spread by rumor or report; report: often with abroad.
  • To report of; spread rumors concerning; accuse publicly.
  • To disturb with noise.
  • noun A sound of any kind and proceeding from any source; especially, an annoying or disagreeable sound, or a mixture of confused sounds; a din: as, the noise of falling water; the noise of battle.
  • noun Outcry; clamor; loud, importunate, or continued talk: as, to make a great noise about trifles.
  • noun Frequent talk; much public conversation or discussion; stir.
  • noun Report; rumor.
  • noun A set or company of musicians; a band.
  • noun Offense; offensive savor.
  • noun Synonyms Tone, etc. (see sound, n., 2 and 3); din, clatter, blare, hubbub, racket, uproar.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To spread by rumor or report.
  • transitive verb obsolete To disturb with noise.
  • noun Sound of any kind.
  • noun Especially, loud, confused, or senseless sound; clamor; din.
  • noun Loud or continuous talk; general talk or discussion; rumor; report.
  • noun obsolete Music, in general; a concert; also, a company of musicians; a band.
  • intransitive verb To sound; to make a noise.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Various sounds, usually unwanted.
  • noun Sound or signal generated by random fluctuations
  • noun technology Unwanted part of a signal. (Signal to noise ratio)
  • noun genetics The measured level of variation in gene expression among cells, regardless of source, within a supposedly identical population
  • noun rumour or complaint
  • verb intransitive To make noise.
  • verb transitive To spread news of; to spread as rumor or gossip.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a disagreeable auditory experience
  • noun sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
  • noun the quality of lacking any predictable order or plan
  • noun a loud outcry of protest or complaint
  • noun incomprehensibility resulting from irrelevant information or meaningless facts or remarks
  • verb emit a noise
  • noun electrical or acoustic activity that can disturb communication

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *nausea, discomfort, from Latin nausea, seasickness; see nausea.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old French noise ("a dispute, wrangle, strife, noise"); origin uncertain; according to some, from Latin nausea ("disgust, nausea"); according to others, from Latin noxia ("hurt, harm, damage, injury"); but neither explanation is satisfactory in regard to either form or sense.

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Examples

  • As I have independently concluded and stated in this blog, which is also stated in #407, there is no noise in climate, by definition. recalling that exponential growth may lead to strange attractors and feature-laden “noise” structures at ALL time scales?

    Exponential Growth in Physical Systems #2 « Climate Audit 2007

  • The Zemu continued an impetuous muddy torrent, whose hoarse voice, mingled with the deep grumbling noise* [The dull rumbling noise thus produced is one of the most singular phenomena in these mountains, and cannot fail to strike the observer.

    Himalayan Journals — Complete 1864

  • In a more sophisticated manner than cap Dave cap A. 27 February 2009 at 2: 31 PM david_a (291) - Rather than the term noise, the phrase internal variability is sometimes used to describe the effects of ocean oscillations and so forth.

    RealClimate 2009

  • In a more sophisticated manner than cap Dave cap A. 10: 51 AM david_a (291) - Rather than the term noise, the phrase internal variability is sometimes used to describe the effects of ocean oscillations and so forth.

    RealClimate 2009

  • In a more sophisticated manner than cap Dave cap A. 10: 51 AM david_a (291) - Rather than the term noise, the phrase internal variability is sometimes used to describe the effects of ocean oscillations and so forth.

    RealClimate 2009

  • With this amount of volatility, short term noise can sometimes overwhelm.

    Gemma Godfrey: Libya -- Oil, Water, Gold Are the Real Issues Gemma Godfrey 2011

  • Most people look around to see what all the noise is about.

    365 tomorrows » 2010 » May : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2010

  • Most people look around to see what all the noise is about.

    365 tomorrows » Duncan Shields : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day 2010

  • Where in all the noise is there any authentic call for a process of truth-telling, a means to reconciliation?

    March « 2008 « Bill Ayers 2008

  • Where in all the noise is there any authentic call for a process of truth-telling, a means to reconciliation?

    I’M SORRY!!!! i think…. 2008

Comments

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  • Rumor.

    May 11, 2008