A whisper about susurrus

Here’s another good word that I came across in  Neil Gaiman’s American Gods:

There was a whispering noise that began then to run through the hall, a low susurrus that caused Shadow, in his dream, to experience a chilling and inexplicable fear.

I love this word. You hardly need the context to get it — susurrus sounds like what it is:

• OED: A low soft sound as of whispering or muttering; a whisper; a rustling.
• AHD: The act of whispering; a whisper; a murmur.
• M-W online: A whispering or rustling sound.

Susurrus comes straight from the Latin, meaning “hum, whisper,” according to M-W Online.

More Friday on an interesting aside I found while reading about susurrus.