noun, plural echoes.
a sound heard again near its source after being reflected.
any repetition or close imitation, as of the ideas or opinions of another.
a person who reflects or imitates another.
a sympathetic or identical response, as to sentiments expressed.
a lingering trace or effect.
(initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. a mountain nymph who pined away for love of the beautiful youth narcissus until only her voice remained.
Cards. the play of a high card and then a low card in the suit led by one's partner as a signal to continue leading the suit, as in bridge, or to lead a trump, as in whist.
Electronics. the reflection of a radio wave, as in radar or the like.
(initial capital letter) U.S. Aerospace. one of an early series of inflatable passive communications satellites.
a word used in communications to represent the letter E.
verb (used without object), echoed, echoing.
to emit an echo; resound with an echo: The hall echoed with cheers.
to be repeated by or as by an echo: Shouts echoed through the street.
verb (used with object), echoed, echoing.
to repeat by or as by an echo; emit an echo of: The hall echoes the faintest sounds.

1300–50; Middle English ecco < Latin ēchō < Greek, akin to ēchḗ sound

echoer, noun
echoless, adjective
outecho, verb (used with object), outechoed, outechoing.
subecho, noun, plural subechoes.
unechoed, adjective
unechoing, adjective

12, 13. ring, reverberate.
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World English Dictionary
echo (ˈɛkəʊ)
n , pl -oes
1.  a.  the reflection of sound or other radiation by a reflecting medium, esp a solid object
 b.  the sound so reflected
2.  a repetition or imitation, esp an unoriginal reproduction of another's opinions
3.  something that evokes memories, esp of a particular style or era
4.  (sometimes plural) an effect that continues after the original cause has disappeared; repercussion: the echoes of the French Revolution
5.  a person who copies another, esp one who obsequiously agrees with another's opinions
6.  a.  the signal reflected by a radar target
 b.  the trace produced by such a signal on a radar screen
7.  the repetition of certain sounds or syllables in a verse line
8.  the quiet repetition of a musical phrase
9.  echo organ, Also called: echo stop a manual or stop on an organ that controls a set of quiet pipes that give the illusion of sounding at a distance
10.  an electronic effect in recorded music that adds vibration or resonance
vb , -oes, -oes, -oing, -oed
11.  to resound or cause to resound with an echo: the cave echoed their shouts
12.  (intr) (of sounds) to repeat or resound by echoes; reverberate
13.  (tr) (of persons) to repeat (words, opinions, etc), in imitation, agreement, or flattery
14.  (tr) (of things) to resemble or imitate (another style, earlier model, etc)
15.  (tr) (of a computer) to display (a character) on the screen of a visual display unit as a response to receiving that character from a keyboard entry
[C14: via Latin from Greek ēkhō; related to Greek ēkhē sound]

Echo1 (ˈɛkəʊ)
either of two US passive communications satellites, the first of which was launched in 1960

Echo2 (ˈɛkəʊ)
Greek myth a nymph who, spurned by Narcissus, pined away until only her voice remained

Echo3 (ˈɛkəʊ)
communications code word for the letter e

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

mid-14c., from L. echo, from Gk. echo, personified as a mountain nymph, from ekhe "sound." The verb is from 1550s. Related: Echoed; echoes; echoing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
echo   (ěk'ō)  Pronunciation Key 
  1. A repeated sound that is caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface. The sound is heard more than once because of the time difference between the initial production of the sound waves and their return from the reflecting surface.

  2. A wave that carries a signal and is reflected. Echoes of radio signals (carried by electromagnetic waves) are used in radar to detect the location or velocity of distant objects.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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Slang Dictionary


[FidoNet] n. A topic group on FidoNet's echomail system. Compare newsgroup.
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
  1. Each Community Helps Others

  2. Exchange Clearing House

  3. Expo Collectors and Historians Organization

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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