ultrasonic

[uhl-truh-son-ik] /ˌʌl trəˈsɒn ɪk/
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or utilizing ultrasound.
Origin
1925-30; ultra- + sonic
Related forms
ultrasonically, adverb
Examples from the web for ultrasonic
  • Sadly for us, mice songs aren't music to our ears-their sounds are ultrasonic and out of range of human hearing.
  • It has been linked to the production of birdsong and the ultrasonic musings of mice.
  • LU uses safety trolleys, which explains why ultrasonic checking is so infrequent.
  • At the age of three, he showed no fear of the ultrasonic dryer in the kitchen.
  • Many digital whiteboards employ ultrasonic triangulation to do the same thing.
  • Not only that, the genetically altered mouse pups had different ultrasonic vocalizations than did garden variety mice.
  • Both ultrasonic and manual instruments are used to remove calculus.
  • The doctor first applies numbing drops to the eye and then uses an ultrasonic wave instrument to measure cornea thickness.
  • ultrasonic, which create a cool mist by means of ultrasonic sound vibrations.
  • ultrasonic testing is accomplished by running a detector car over the tracks.
British Dictionary definitions for ultrasonic

ultrasonic

/ˌʌltrəˈsɒnɪk/
adjective
1.
of, concerned with, or producing waves with the same nature as sound waves but frequencies above audio frequencies See also ultrasound
Derived Forms
ultrasonically, adverb
Word Origin and History for ultrasonic
adj.

1923, "having frequency beyond the audible range," from ultra- + sonic. For sense, see supersonic.

ultrasonic in Medicine

ultrasonic ul·tra·son·ic (ŭl'trə-sŏn'ĭk)
adj.

  1. Of or relating to acoustic frequencies above the range audible to the human ear, or above approximately 20,000 hertz.

  2. Of, relating to, or involving ultrasound.

ul'tra·son'i·cal·ly adv.
ultrasonic in Science
ultrasound
  (ŭl'trə-sound')   

  1. Sound whose frequency is above the upper limit of the range of human hearing (approximately 20 kilohertz).

  2. See ultrasonography.

  3. An image produced by ultrasonography.


ultrasonic adjective (ŭl'trə-sŏn'ĭk)
Our Living Language  : Many people use simple ultrasound generators. Dog whistles, for example, produce tones that dogs can hear but that are too high to be heard by humans. Sound whose frequency is higher than the upper end of the normal range of human hearing (higher than about 20,000 hertz) is called ultrasound. (Sound at frequencies too low to be audible—about 20 hertz or lower—is called infrasound.) Medical ultrasound images, such as those of a fetus in the womb, are made by directing ultrasonic waves into the body, where they bounce off internal organs and other objects and are reflected back to a detector. Ultrasound imaging, also known as ultrasonography, is particularly useful in conditions such as pregnancy, when x-rays can be harmful. Because ultrasonic waves have very short wavelengths, they interact with very small objects and thus provide images with high resolution. For this reason ultrasound is also used in some microscopes. Ultrasound can also be used to focus large amounts of energy into very small spaces by aiming multiple ultrasonic beams in such a way that the waves are in phase at one precise location, making it possible, for example, to break up kidney stones without surgical incision and without disturbing surrounding tissue. Ultrasound's industrial uses include measuring thicknesses of materials, testing for structural defects, welding, and aquatic sonar.