hertz

noun \ ˈhərts , ˈherts \

|Updated on: 9 Jun 2018

Definition of hertz

plural hertz

: a unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second —abbreviation Hz

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Recent Examples of hertz from the Web

Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz), or the number of sound waves per second.

— ben finio, Scientific American, "Make Sprinkles Dance," 31 May 2018
But some scientists looked at what could happen without the time correction rule and concluded clocks could gradually go off-kilter if the grid's power was delivered consistently at higher or lower rates than 60 hertz.

— seth borenstein, USA TODAY, "Running late? Clocks may go a little cuckoo with change to power grid maintenance rules," 17 May 2018
The title of hacker magazine 2600 is a tip of the hat to 2600 hertz, the frequency old-school hackers reproduced to trick AT&T phone lines into giving them free calls.

— robert mcmillan, WSJ, "You Think Discovering a Computer Virus Is Hard? Try Naming One," 11 Apr. 2018
Here’s the spectrogram for the yanny/laurel recording: Higher frequencies (up to 5,000 hertz, or waves per second) appear toward the top, and lower ones (down to zero) toward the bottom.

— rachel gutman, The Atlantic, "A Linguist Explains Why 'Laurel' Sounds Like 'Yanny'," 15 May 2018
Someone with a grating voice is likely to have strong overtones in the range that humans are particularly sensitive to, around 3,000 hertz.

— eugenia cheng, WSJ, "What Makes One Voice Shrill, Another Sweet?," 11 Apr. 2018
In technical terms, power systems in Europe, and much of Asia and Africa, run on alternating current at 50 hertz, meaning that the flow of electricity changes directions 50 times per second.

— valerie hopkins and richard pÉrez-peÑa, New York Times, "Clocks Slow in Europe? Blame Kosovo-Serbia Row," 8 Mar. 2018
Monica Gagliano at the University of Western Australia has gathered evidence that some plants may also emit and detect sounds, and in particular, a crackling noise in the roots at a frequency of 220 hertz, inaudible to humans.

— diàna markosian, Smithsonian, "Do Trees Talk to Each Other?," 22 Feb. 2018
Hamilton took one for a spin down the ice, and the data was instantaneous — line graphs along with a slew of numbers that showed his force in pounds and his stroke rate in hertz.

— scott cacciola, New York Times, "Engineering Marvel of the Winter Olympics: A Broom," 6 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hertz.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hertz

Heinrich R. Hertz

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1928

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Hertz

biographical name \ ˈherts , ˈhərts \

Definition of Hertz

Gustav Ludwig 1887–1975 German physicist

Hertz

biographical name

Definition of Hertz

Heinrich Rudolf 1857–1894 German physicist

HERTZ Defined for English Language Learners

hertz

noun

Definition of hertz for English Language Learners

: a unit used for measuring the frequency of sound waves

Medical Dictionary

hertz

noun \ ˈhərts , ˈherts \

medical Definition of hertz

: a unit of frequency equal to one cycle per second —abbreviation Hz

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See words that rhyme with hertz Spanish Central: Translation of hertz Nglish: Translation of hertz for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hertz

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