subsonic

Etymology

From sub- + sonic.

adj

  1. (of a sound, scientific) having a frequency too low to be audible
  2. (of a sound, literary) 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)
  4. (fluid mechanics, of a flow) with a Mach number such that 0.3 < Ma < 0.8 (approximately - the exact limits vary between sources)

noun

  1. an aircraft whose maximum speed is less than the speed of sound

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