susurrus

Definition

A whispering or rustling sound; a murmur.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin susurrus (“a humming, whispering”); reduplication of imitative Proto-Indo-European *swer- (“to buzz, hum”).

Example Sentences

• "[Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was] pelted with buckets of water by firemen, and, finally, currycombed and rubbed down by two grooms, keeping a sharp susurrus between them, so as to soothe his wounded feelings; […]"
• "The soft susurrus and sighs of the branches."
• "They heard the Green Fork before they saw it, an endless susurrus, like the growl of some great beast."

Related Words