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yes, really any soft surfaces will damp[0] (not "dampen") sound, but the techniques and materials can get very advanced (and expensive, and effective)

0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damping

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Why can't "dampen" be applied to oscillators? It means "To lessen; to dull; to make less intense" in this case.

i think the point is that it's one of those words misused so widely that dictionaries updated the definition to include the incorrect use.

dampen means to make something wet, or at least originally that's what it meant

According to https://www.etymonline.com/word/dampen it's meant "to dull or deaden, make weak" from 1630s and "to moisten, make humid" from 1827.

Whoa! Thanks for the clarification. As a word aficionado, I did not realize the correct form of this one.

as a fellow pedant, i also really appreciated this clarification. i love it when i learn i've been saying something wrong!

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