The superlative form of loud; making the most noise or sound.
From Old English 'hlud' meaning 'loud,' combined with the superlative suffix '-est.' The word has Germanic roots and has meant 'producing strong sound' since before the 11th century.
The word 'loud' comes from the same root as 'hlud' in Old English, which is related to the idea of being heard from far away—it's why we use 'loud' for both actual sound volume and figuratively for attention-grabbing things like 'loud fashion choices.'
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