stereo

[ster-ee-oh, steer-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stereo ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ster·e·os.

stereoscopic photography.

a stereoscopic photograph.

stereophonic sound reproduction.

a system or the equipment for reproducing stereophonic sound.

Printing. stereotype(defs 1, 2).

adjective

pertaining to stereophonic sound, stereoscopic photography, etc.

verb (used with object)

Printing. stereotype(def 5).

Origin of stereo

First recorded in 1815–25; by shortening

stereo.

stereotype.

stereo-

a combining form borrowed from Greek, where it meant “solid”, used with reference to hardness, solidity, three-dimensionality in the formation of compound words: stereochemistry; stereogram; stereoscope.

Also especially before a vowel, stere-.

Origin of stereo-

From the Greek word stereós

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for stereo

radio, phonograph, hi-fi, gramophone

Examples from the Web for stereo

Contemporary Examples of stereo

It worked at home as a secondary computer to run Pandora through the stereo and such tasks.
Errors in the Field
Michael Tomasky
April 24, 2013
When we first started playing, we played for five minutes and the stereo broke.
Phoenix on New Album ‘Bankrupt!’ and Journey to Rock Superstardom
Marlow Stern
April 22, 2013
Foster believes that Holmes used a stereo timer to set the music to start playing at midnight.
Explosion of James Holmes’ Apartment Would Have Been ‘Catastrophic’
Christine Pelisek, Eliza Shapiro
July 23, 2012
You can stream your music from a Windows PC through your Xbox into your stereo.
Can Microsoft Come Back? Dan Lyons’s Month Without Apple and Google
Dan Lyons
April 9, 2012
The leading indicator for his comeback has already spoken via a clear, stereo signal.
Chris Brown's Shocking Comeback
Seth Colter Walls
February 11, 2011

Historical Examples of stereo

I took Thorndyke's card out of my pocket and looked at the stereo.
Highways in Hiding
George Oliver Smith
Remember that stereo shot we had taken just before we left Mars?
Bedside Manner
William Morrison
The stereo house was open, and the little shops were brightly lighted.
Badge of Infamy
Lester del Rey
I can read your thoughts as though they were flashed on a stereo screen!
The Space Pioneers
Carey Rockwell
He stood at the bar for nearly half an hour, watching the stereo and waiting.
Sabotage in Space
Carey Rockwell

British Dictionary definitions for stereo

stereo

adjective

short for stereophonic, stereoscopic

noun plural stereos

stereophonic soundto broadcast in stereo

a stereophonic record player, tape recorder, etc

photog

stereoscopic photography
a stereoscopic photograph

printing short for stereotype

Word Origin for stereo

C20: shortened form

stereo-

sometimes before a vowel stere-

combining form

indicating three-dimensional quality or soliditystereoscope

Word Origin for stereo-

from Greek stereos solid

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

Word Origin and History for stereo

1823 as a shortening of stereotype; 1876 as a shortening of stereoscope; 1954 (adj.) as a shortening of stereophonic; the noun meaning "stereophonic record or tape player" is recorded from 1964.

stereo-

word-forming element, before vowels stere-, from comb. form of Greek stereos "solid" (see stereotype).

stereo in Medicine

stereo-

pref.

Solid; solid body:stereotropism.

Three-dimensional:stereochemistry.