gramophone
Americannoun
noun
-
-
US and Canadian name: phonograph. Also called: acoustic gramophone. a device for reproducing the sounds stored on a record: now usually applied to the nearly obsolete type that uses a clockwork motor and acoustic horn
-
( as modifier )
a gramophone record
-
-
the technique and practice of recording sound on disc
the gramophone has made music widely available
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gramophone
First recorded in 1887; originally a trademark; apparently inversion of phonogram now obsolete name for a phonographic cylinder
Compare meaning
How does gramophone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A gramophone is an old type of record player. These days, a gramophone is a real antique. A gramophone, like a cassette player, CD player, or MP3 player, is a device for playing music. A gramophone plays records: discs with grooves that are amplified by a needle. It's a relic today, but at one time this turntable device was the chief means by which recorded music made its way to the ears of home listeners. The word was originally a trademark, and inspired the Grammy Awards (originally the Gramophone Awards), which are over fifty years old.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A Gramophone Award-winning pianist and the author of eight books—nearly all of them about the piano—Ms. Tomes brings to her work a commanding authority and an undisguised appreciation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Ehnes, an internationally renowned violinist — Gramophone named him artist of the year last fall — will be among the musicians performing in The Concert Truck concerts.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 29, 2022
He was signed by the august record label Deutsche Grammophon when he was just 15, and at 18 was named an unusually young Young Artist of the Year by Gramophone magazine.
From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2021
It won Gramophone magazine’s Recording of the Year award in 2016.
From Washington Post • Jun. 26, 2021
Gramophone records of Thy Beaming Eyes have been made for "Columbia" by Charles W. Clarke, baritone, and for "His Master's Voice" by Sophie Breslau, contralto.
From Edward MacDowell by Porte, John F.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
