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phonoscope

American  
[foh-nuh-skohp] / ˈfoʊ nəˌskoʊp /

noun

  1. an instrument for making visible the motions or properties of a sounding body.

  2. a device for testing the quality of strings for musical instruments.

phonoscope British  
/ ˈfəʊnəˌskəʊp /

noun

  1. a device that renders visible the vibrations of sound waves

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of phonoscope

First recorded in 1880–85; phono- + -scope

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.

Reversing the process, beautiful flashes of light have been produced from musical vibrations by the phonophote of M. Coulon and the phonoscope of Henry Edmunds.

From Project Gutenberg

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.