noun

reverberation

rih-vur-buh-RAY-shun/rɪˌvɜːrbəˈreɪʃn/

The continuation of sound through repeated echoes.

The bell's reverberation continues through repeated echoes inside the stone belfry.

Church bell rings inside stone belfry, repeating reflected sound curves travel through interior, sustained echo visually represented.

Etymology

reLatinback

+verberLatinto strike, beat

+ationLatinaction or process

The underlying image is a striking back or rebounding. Applied to sound, this became an echo; a continuing effect likewise suggests something whose impact keeps returning.

In context

Acoustic Geometry1:38

room mode resonances sustain much longer than the original sound causing destructively long reverberation times around those frequencies

How BASS Works (In Rooms) - Acoustic Geometry

More examples

Soft wall panels reduce reverberation in the recording studio.
We hear the bell's reverberations long after it stops ringing.
Her shout produces a long reverberation inside the cave.

Forms

reverberation · reverberations

reverberate verb — To continue sounding through repeated echoes.

Similar words

echo: Usually a distinct repetition rather than a lingering sound.
resonance: Emphasizes sound's fullness or amplification rather than repeated echoes.