loud

Etymology 1

From Middle English loude, loud, lud, from Old English hlūd (“loud, noisy, sounding, sonorous”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlūd, from Proto-Germanic *hlūdaz, *hlūþaz (“heard”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlewtos (“heard, famous”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”). More at listen. Cognates Akin to Scots loud, lowd (“loud”), Swedish ljud, West Frisian lûd (“loud”), Dutch luid (“loud”), Low German lud (“loud”), German laut (“loud”), Irish clú (“repute”), Welsh clywed (“heard”), clod (“praise”), Latin laudare (“praise”), Tocharian A/B klots/klautso 'ear', klyostär 'heard', Ancient Greek κλυτός (klutós, “famous”), Albanian quaj (“to name, call”), shquar (“famous, notorious”), Old Armenian լու (lu, “the act of hearing”), Old Church Slavonic слава (slava, “glory”), слово (slovo, “word”), Sanskrit श्रव (śráva, “glory”).

adj

1. (of a sound) Of great intensity.
   Turn that music down; it's too loud.
   What was that? It sounded like a really loud sneeze.
2. (of a person, thing, event, etc.) Noisy.
   a loud party that went on all night
3. (of a person, event, etc.) Not subtle or reserved, brash.
4. (of clothing, decorations, etc.) Having unpleasantly and tastelessly contrasting colours or patterns; gaudy.
   a loud style of dress; loud colors
   In comparison with the loud Portrait of E.C. Ricart (ill. p. 13) two years earlier, Miró has captured a soft, hushed atmosphere here. 2006, Janis Mink, Joan Miró, page 22
5. (of marijuana, slang) High-quality; premium; (by extension) having a strong or pungent odour indicating good quality.

noun

1. (colloquial) A loud sound or part of a sound.
   The expander doesn't really make the louds louder and the softs softer in one step […] 2012, Sam McGuire, Paul Lee, The Video Editor's Guide to Soundtrack Pro, page 103
2. (slang, uncountable) High-quality marijuana.

Etymology 2

From Middle English loude, from Old English hlūde (“loudly”), from Proto-Germanic *hlūda, *hlūdô (“loudly”), related to Etymology 1.

adv

1. Loudly.