db

abbreviation

decibel(s).

noun, symbol

a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal by comparing it with a given level on a logarithmic scale.

early 20th century: from deci- ‘ten’ + bel (the unit being one tenth of a bel).

noun, symbol

the chemical element of atomic number 105, a very unstable element made by high-energy atomic collisions.

1990s: modern Latin, from Dubna in Russia, site of the Joint Nuclear Institute.