A man who takes daily walks in the woods of upstate New York wants a word for the whooshing of the pines high above their heads. The hosts suggest the Latin-based word susurration, although they might also have suggested soughing. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Susurration”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hello.
Hi, who’s this?
This is Carol Owens from Glidfield in upstate New York.
How are you doing today?
Super. Welcome to the program.
Thank you very much.
My wife and I try to get out every day and walk in our neighborhood. We live on the western edge of the Adirondack Park. We walk frequently, and sounds are part of the experience: birds, animals, rain, wind, that sort of thing. But in our neighborhood, most of the trees are red and white pine. The wind blowing through the trees makes a sound that I have not heard described before. So I was wondering if there is a name for that sound.
Carol, can you describe it for us?
It’s not a moaning, exactly, but it’s a long, stretched-out whooshing is the best that I can come up with, and that’s not very descriptive, I’m afraid. And it’s not a bellow or a howl, is it? It’s something quieter than that.
It’s not deafening by any means. It’s a mellow sound, I would say.
Mellow, there’s the word. It’s something like a sigh then, right?
Yes.
Let me ask you one more question. How do you and your wife feel about that sound?
Comforted, calm, serene, how should I say, familiar.
Nice.
Yeah, it calls to the heart, doesn’t it? Kind of like the ocean sounds.
Yes, it certainly would be maybe a good candidate for a white sound on one of those recordings, but I don’t know that I’ve ever heard it in that context.
Well, Carol, I think you’ve described it really well, but what you want is a one-word summation of it. Is that right?
That’s what I was looking for.
How about this for a word for that sound, sussuration?
That sounds very nice, and I can honestly say that I have never heard it before.
Yeah, the sussurration in the tall trees. It comes from the Latin word that means whisper or murmur or hum.
Mm—
Mm—
Excellent.
Sounds prettier in Spanish, susurro.
And so then the verb is susurrate.
Oh, yeah.
I guess you’re right.
Yeah, but the sussurration is, I like the shun at the end because all of those sibilant sounds, they evoke exactly what you’re talking about, the whispering kind of subtle, tiny whistle of the wind in the needles.
How do you spell it?
Good question.
It’s S-U-S-U-R-A-T-I-O-N, sussuration.
Okay, I can’t wait to insert this into my next conversation with people who I know, who think they know a lot more than I do. But anyway.
Now you’re armed.
It’s a good, strong word. It’s real English. It comes from Latin. And it’s a wonderful poetic word that I would love to see used more often in the right places.
Well, very good. I certainly will make a habit of doing that. And thank you for the contemplative question. I always appreciate something that’s well thought out.
Good luck, Carol. Take a walk in the woods for us, will you?
Certainly will. Thank you very much.
Bye-bye.
Bye now.
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