Wordwyrt

absurd

/əbˈsɜːd/uhb-SURD
/əbˈsɝd/uhb-SURD

Meaningoff-key; out of tune

Common meaning: wildly unreasonable

‘away, off’ + ‘deaf’ → absurd

Journey through time

  1. Latinsurdus, -a, -um‘deaf’
  2. Englishabsurd‘wildly unreasonable’ · today

ab- also in: abhorabortabuseaboundabrupt

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin surdus ‘deaf; muted’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry ABSURD, p. 5 · dictionary scan

Roots

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app