Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “reverb” come from?

Reverb is a back-formation from reverberate, which comes from Latin reverberatus, the past participle of reverberare, meaning to strike back, from re- and verberare, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.

reverb (English): An electronic effect which simulates echoes or...

Definitions

  1. An electronic effect which simulates echoes or...

Ancestry of “reverb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishreverberationA violent oscillation or vibration; An echo, or a...
2Old Frenchreverberation—
3Medieval Latinreverberatiorebounding; reverberation
4LatinreverberoI repel, rebound
5Latinrĕ-—
6Latinprōdūcō—
7Latinprō-—
8Proto-Italic*pro-—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpro-toward, forward
10Proto-Indo-Europeanpor-to give birth; forward, through; going, passage
11Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
12Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “reverb”

  • reverbed
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →