The letter sequence "v-e-r-b" in reverberate might make you think at first of such word-related brethren as proverb, verbal, and verbose, all of which derive from the Latin noun verbum, meaning "word." In fact, reverberate comes from a much different source: the Latin verb verberare, meaning "to whip, beat, or lash," which is related to the noun verber, meaning "rod." Reverberate entered the English language in the 15th century, and one of its early meanings was "to beat, drive, or cast back." By the early 1600s, it began to appear in contexts associated with sound that repeats or returns the way an echo does.
Verb the sound of thunder reverberated from one end of the mountain pass to the other
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Italy's 10-year bond yield has risen above 4% as the energy crisis gripping the European Union—and the European Central Bank's attempt to rein in inflation—reverberate through the continent's financial markets. Joe Wallace, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022 The effects of solitary reverberate long after survivors have left the box. James Burns, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2022 America's Second Reconstruction transformed the social compact for Black folk, and the legacies from this period still reverberate nationally. Peniel E. Joseph, CNN, 6 Sep. 2022 For the teens, heartrending sentiments on teamwork, friendship and forgiveness are given sufficient time to land and reverberate. Courtney Howard, Variety, 10 Aug. 2022 But this week Kansas delivered a shock to the political system and a lot of the data suggest that what happened there could reverberate beyond its borders in November. Dante Chinni, NBC News, 7 Aug. 2022 It’s there where this decision should reverberate like a thunder clap. Doug Lesmerises, cleveland, 2 Aug. 2022 These blocks reverberate in two directions for hospitals: On the input end, hospitals may need to transfer emergency patients who need to be admitted to the hospital but cannot because there is no space for them. Stephen Bohan, STAT, 2 Aug. 2022 These powerful events produce seismic waves, which reverberate through our planet’s interior. Jonathan O'callaghan, Scientific American, 28 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Latin reverberatus, past participle of reverberare, from re- + verberare to lash, from verber rod — more at vervain