acoustics

== English == === Alternative forms === acousticks (obsolete) === Etymology === From acoustic +‎ -s. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /əˈkuː.stɪks/ === Noun === acoustics (uncountable) See -ics regarding the treatment of such nouns as singular. (physics) The science of sounds, teaching their nature, phenomena and laws. The properties of a space that affect how sound carries. ==== Usage notes ==== The science was previously divided by some writers into diacoustics, which explains the properties of sounds coming directly from (sic! Webster) the ear; and catacoustics, which treats of reflected sounds or echoes. This division is now obsolete. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== acoustic ==== Translations ==== === Noun === acoustics plural of acoustic === References === “acoustics”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. “acoustics”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.