decibel

Etymology

From deci- +‎ bel.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛsɪbɛl/, /ˈdɛsɪbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

decibel (plural decibels)

1. A common measure of sound intensity ratio that is one tenth of a bel on the logarithmic intensity scale. It is defined as dB = ⅒log₁₀(P₁ / P₂), where P₁ and P₂ are the relative powers of the sound.

Noun

decibel m inan

1. decibel (unit of sound intensity ratio)

Further reading

• “decibel”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)
• “decibel”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Etymology

Borrowed from English decibel. Equivalent to deci- +‎ bel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdeːsiˌbɛl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: de‧ci‧bel

Noun

decibel m (plural decibels, diminutive decibeltje n)

1. decibel

Etymology

Either deci- +‎ bel or internationalism.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈdɛt͡sibɛl]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: de‧ci‧bel
• Rhymes: -ɛl

Noun

decibel (plural decibelek)

1. decibel

Further reading

• decibel in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).