Noise

How to spell noise

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce noise

What does noise mean?

1. nounA sound, especially one that is loud, unpleasant, or unwanted.

Noise in a sentence

• The constant traffic noise outside made it hard to sleep.

• A strange rattling noise came from under the bonnet of the car.

Where does noise come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English in the 1200s from Old French noise, which meant a din, an uproar, or a noisy quarrel. The deeper origin is debated, but the leading explanation traces it to the Latin nausea, which literally meant 'seasickness' (itself from the Greek word for a ship), the idea being that the wretched racket of suffering sailors gave rise to a sense of general commotion. A rival theory connects it instead to the Latin noxia, meaning 'harm' or 'damage', which fits the early 'quarrel' sense well. Whichever path is correct, the meaning in English settled into 'loud or unwanted sound', and the original sense of 'dispute' survives only in the old phrase 'to make a noise about something'. The unusual oi spelling for the sound is a direct inheritance from its French route into the language, which is precisely what trips writers up.

How the word is built

• nois- (Old French noise: din, quarrel)
• -e (silent terminal e)