subsonic
nounEtymology From sub- + sonic.
1
an aircraft whose maximum speed is less than the speed of sound
subsonic
adjEtymology From sub- + sonic.
1
Sciences, Scientific Of a sound having a frequency too low to be audible
2
Literary, Of a sound very quiet, almost inaudible
- The noise of the ship was all around her. The faint subsonic rumble of the reactor and drive. (Leviathan Wakes, James S. A. Corey)
3
Of a speed (aviation) less than the speed of sound (in the same medium, and at the same temperature and pressure)
- But British Airways Flight 112 made the trek in under five hours, setting a new record for the fastest subsonic commercial flight across the Atlantic Ocean.2020 February 9, Alina Selyukh, “British Airways Sets Record, Crossing The Atlantic In Under 5 Hours In Strong Winds”, in NPR:
4
Of a flow with a Mach number such that 0.3 < Ma < 0.8 (approximately - the exact limits vary between sources)
Fluid mechanics
- Derived terms
- subsonically
- Related terms
- hypersonic, plasmasonic, supersonic, transonic