The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Reverberation \Re*ver`ber*a"tion\, n. [CF. F.
   r['e]verb['e]ration.]
   The act of reverberating; especially, the act of reflecting
   light or heat, or reechoing sound; as, the reverberation of
   rays from a mirror; the reverberation of rays from a mirror;
   the reverberation of voices; the reverberation of heat or
   flame in a furnace.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

reverberation
    n 1: the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the
         sound waves; "she could hear echoes of her own footsteps"
         [syn: echo, reverberation, sound reflection,
         replication]
    2: a remote or indirect consequence of some action; "his
       declaration had unforeseen repercussions"; "reverberations of
       the market crash were felt years later" [syn: repercussion,
       reverberation]