Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PER-CUS'SION, n. [L. percussio.]

1. The set of striking one body against another, with some violence; as, the vibrations excited in the air by percussion. – Newton.
2. The impression one body makes on another by falling on it or striking it. – Encyc.
3. The impression or effect of sound on the ear. – Rymer.