o·nance (rĕz′ə-nəns)
n.
1.
a. Intensification and prolongation of sound, especially of a musical tone, produced by sympathetic vibration.
b. Intensification of vocal tones during articulation, as by the air cavities of the mouth and nasal passages.
c. Medicine The sound produced by diagnostic percussion of the normal chest.
2. Richness or significance, especially in evoking an association or strong emotion: "Israel, gateway to Mecca, is of course a land of religious resonance and geopolitical significance" (James Wolcott).
3. Physics The increase in amplitude of oscillation of an electric or mechanical system exposed to a periodic force whose frequency is equal or very close to the natural undamped frequency of the system.
4. Physics A subatomic particle having too short a lifetime to be observed directly and whose existence is inferred from a peak in the energy distribution of its decay products.
5. Chemistry The property of a compound having simultaneously the characteristics of two or more structural forms that differ only in the distribution of electrons. Such compounds are highly stable and cannot be properly represented by a single structural formula.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
resonance (ˈrɛzənəns)
n
1. the condition or quality of being resonant
2. (General Physics) sound produced by a body vibrating in sympathy with a neighbouring source of sound
3. (General Physics) the condition of a body or system when it is subjected to a periodic disturbance of the same frequency as the natural frequency of the body or system. At this frequency the system displays an enhanced oscillation or vibration
4. (Phonetics & Phonology) amplification of speech sounds by sympathetic vibration in the bone structure of the head and chest, resounding in the cavities of the nose, mouth, and pharynx
5. (Electronics) electronics the condition of an electrical circuit when the frequency is such that the capacitive and inductive reactances are equal in magnitude. In a series circuit there is then maximum alternating current whilst in a parallel circuit there is minimum alternating current
6. (Medicine) med the sound heard when percussing a hollow bodily structure, esp the chest or abdomen. Change in the quality of the sound often indicates an underlying disease or disorder
7. (Chemistry) chem the phenomenon in which the electronic structure of a molecule can be represented by two or more hypothetical structures involving single, double, and triple chemical bonds. The true structure is considered to be an average of these theoretical structures
8. (General Physics) physics
a. the condition of a system in which there is a sharp maximum probability for the absorption of electromagnetic radiation or capture of particles
b. a type of elementary particle of extremely short lifetime. Resonances are regarded as excited states of more stable particles
c. a highly transient atomic state formed during a collision process
[C16: from Latin resonāre to resound]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
res•o•nance (ˈrɛz ə nəns)
n.
1. the state or quality of being resonant.
2. the prolongation of sound by reflection; reverberation.
3.
a. amplification of a source of speech sounds, esp. of phonation, by sympathetic vibration of the air, esp. in the cavities of the mouth, nose, and pharynx.
b. a characteristic quality of a particular voiced speech sound imparted by the distribution of amplitudes among the cavities of the head, chest, and throat.
4.
a. a larger than normal vibration produced in response to a stimulus whose frequency is close to the natural frequency of the vibrating system.
b. any of the states of an oscillating system, as an electric circuit, in which a value much larger than average is maintained for a given frequency.
5. a quality of enriched significance, profundity, or allusiveness: The poem has a resonance beyond its surface meaning.
6. the chemical phenomenon in which the arrangement of the valence electrons of a molecule changes back and forth between two or more states.
7. (in percussing for diagnostic purposes) a sound produced when air is present.
[1485–95; < Middle French < Latin resonantia echo =reson(āre) to resound + -antia -ance]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
res·o·nance (rĕz′ə-nəns)
The phenomenon whereby an oscillating system, such as a swing, will oscillate more strongly when it is exposed to a periodic force that is applied with the same frequency as that of the oscillating system. For example, a swing will swing to greater heights if each consecutive push on it is timed to be in rhythm with the initial swing. A radio is tuned by adjusting the frequency of the receiver so that it matches that of the incoming radio waves.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Student Science, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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