recorder

American  

[ri-kawr-der] / rɪˈkɔr dər /

noun

• recorders
  plural

1. a person who records, especially as an official duty.

2. English Law.

   1. a judge in a city or borough court.

   2. (formerly) the legal adviser of a city or borough, with responsibility for keeping a record of legal actions and local customs.

3. a recording or registering apparatus or device.

4. a device for recording sound, images, or data by electrical, magnetic, or optical means.

5. an end-blown flute having a fipple mouthpiece, eight finger holes, and a soft, mellow tone.

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recorder British  

/ rɪˈkɔːdə /

noun

1. a person who records, such as an official or historian

2. something that records, esp an apparatus that provides a permanent record of experiments, etc

3. short for tape recorder

4. music a wind instrument of the flute family, blown through a fipple in the mouth end, having a reedlike quality of tone. There are four usual sizes: bass, tenor, treble, and descant

5. (in England) a barrister or solicitor of at least ten years' standing appointed to sit as a part-time judge in the crown court

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recorder Cultural  

1. A wooden flute played like a whistle. It was popular in the fourteenth through eighteenth centuries. Interest in it has been revived over the past few decades.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• recordership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• recorders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of recorder

1275–1325; Middle English recorder wind instrument ( see record, -er ¹), recordour legal official (< Anglo-French recordour, Old French recordeour )

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Explanation

A recorder is a machine that reproduces (or records) sound. A reporter might use a recorder during an interview. A recorder is also often a first musical instrument for kids, who crank out “Hot Cross Buns” at top volume. A digital recorder and the recorder on your cell phone are both examples of electronic recorders. A person whose job involves taking notes or keeping written records during a meeting can also be called a recorder. A now-obsolete meaning of the verb record is "practice a tune," and from this came the 15th century name of the musical instrument called a recorder. These wind instruments are still around, not just in elementary schools.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

recorder recorders

Dean Logan, the Los Angeles county clerk and recorder, told The Guardian his office refused to review the list, in part because they didn’t consider the USB drive to be secure.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

A camera was placed in the room and on 5 October, Alfozan was filmed entering and appearing to look behind the television where the audio recorder had been inserted.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

That stability suggests γ-Fe could act as a previously unrecognized recorder of magnetic information in lunar material, preserving clues about conditions that existed during the Moon's past.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2026

Authorities are also reviewing the SUV’s event data recorder to determine Rios’ speed, braking and acceleration in the seconds before the deadly crash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

I saw the cassette tape recorder that had been set up in the hallway and watched an officer bring over a tape.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Stephen carried a neatly packed bag lined with recorders, headphones and batteries.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026

Surrounded by Filofaxes, fax machines and VHS recorders, he shares his theory of why the first series was such a hit.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

Richard Garstang, a portfolio manager for Oldfield Partners, touted Pason Systems, a Canadian oil services company that makes electronic drilling recorders that sit on rigs and offer real time monitoring.

From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026

And videocassette recorders allowed people to record their favorite shows and play them at different times.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026

There were no video cassette recorders, no CDs, no computers.

From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements

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