Feedback

How to spell feedback

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce feedback

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does feedback mean?

1. nounComments, reactions, or evaluative information returned to a person about their work, behaviour, or performance.
2. nounThe return of part of an output signal to the input, often producing a high-pitched whine in audio equipment.

Feedback in a sentence

• The manager gave detailed feedback on the draft report.

• The microphone produced a screech of feedback when held too close to the speaker.

• Customer feedback helped the company improve its delivery service.

• Engineers adjusted the circuit to reduce unwanted feedback.

Where does feedback come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a relatively modern English compound, built straightforwardly from the native words 'feed' and 'back', both of which descend from Old English. 'Feed' comes from the Old English fedan, meaning 'to give food to' or 'to nourish', while 'back' comes from the Old English baec, meaning the rear part of the body. The word was coined in the early twentieth century in the world of electronics and engineering, where it described a system returning some of its output signal back to its input. From there it spread into cybernetics and biology, and by the middle of the century it had taken on its now-dominant everyday sense of comments or reactions returned to a person about their work or behaviour. Because both halves are common, plain English words, the spelling holds few surprises; the only thing to remember is that it is written as one solid word, not two.

How the word is built

• feed (to supply, give)
• back (return, in reverse)