[ad. L. verberātio, noun of action from verberāre: see prec. So F. verbération (13–14th cent.), Sp. verberacion, Pg. verberação.]
1. The action of beating or striking, or the fact of being struck, so as to produce sound; percussion.
1610. Healey, St. Aug. Citie of God, XVI. vi. (1620), 547. Not admitting sound or verberation of aire.
1696. Phillips, s.v., The cause of sounds that proceed from the Verberation of the Air.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., Sound … arises from a Verberation of the Air.
1865. Sala, Diary in Amer., I. 131. Canada has often been declared by the wise men south of that [the 45th] parallel to be ‘knocking at the door of the Union.’… If Canada ever resorts to that method of verberation [etc.].
b. Reverberation of sound.
1855. Singleton, Virgil, I. 186. Where The vaulted rocks with verberation ring.
† 2. (See quot.) Obs.–0
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 387/2. A Verberation, or Verberous feeling; a smarting pain, as when we are beaten with rods, whips, or scourges.
3. The action of beating or striking so as to cause pain or hurt; esp. flogging or scourging; also, a blow or stroke.
1733. Arbuthnot, Ess. Effects Air, ii. 26. The Effects of which are Redness and Inflammation of the Parts exposed to the Air, all the Effects of a soft Press or Verberation, Heat and Drousiness.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. 120. The Cornelian law … prohibited pulsation as well as verberation; distinguishing verberation, which was accompanied with pain, from pulsation which was attended with none.
1774. Goldsm., Nat. Hist. (1862), II. 427. It is by the strong folds of the body, by the fierce verberations of the tail, that the enemy is destroyed.
1860. Thackeray, Round. Papers, Lazy little Boy. The anger, or … the verberations of his schoolmaster.
1879. Daily Tel., 21 July. The beadle, alas! was armed with a different instrument of verberation.
1895. Class. Rev., April, 146/1. It is idle to translate ‘go on striking,’ for the word is found repeatedly when the verberation had not yet started.
