loudness

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
loud/laʊd/

▶adjective

• 1 producing or capable of producing much noise.

• 2 strong in expression: loud protests.

  ■ obtrusive; gaudy.

▶adverb with a great deal of volume.

– phrases
out loud audibly.

– derivatives
louden verb,
loudly adverb,
loudness noun.

– origin OE hlūd, of W. Gmc origin; from an Indo-Eur. root meaning ‘hear’.