crystal set

noun

An early radio receiver, having no electrical power supply except the radio waves themselves; it used a crystal of lead or cadmium sulphide and a wire (the cat's whisker) touching the crystal's surface.

Similar
crystal radiocrystal radio receivercat's whisker receiver
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Meanings

nouncrystal set (plural crystal sets)

plural crystal sets

  1. businessAn early radio receiver, having no electrical power supply except the radio waves themselves; it used a crystal of lead or cadmium sulphide and a wire (the cat's whisker) touching the crystal's surface.

    Synonyms: crystal radio, crystal radio receiver, cat's whisker receiver

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn early radio receiver, having no electrical power supply except the radio waves themselves; it used a crystal of lead or cadmium sulphide and a wire (the cat's whisker) touching the crystal's surface.

Similar
crystal radiocrystal radio receivercat's whisker receiver
Also see
cat's whisker receivercrystal radiocrystal radio receiver

Translations

Catalan ràdio de galena
  • ràdio de galenaan early kind of radio receiver
Chinese Mandarin 礦石收音機 /矿石收音机
  • 礦石收音機 /矿石收音机 (kuàngshí shōuyīnjī)an early kind of radio receiver
Danish krystalapparat, krystalmodtager
  • krystalapparatan early kind of radio receiver
  • krystalmodtageran early kind of radio receiver
Dutch kristalontvanger
  • kristalontvangeran early kind of radio receiver
Finnish kideradio
  • kideradioan early kind of radio receiver
French récepteur à cristal, poste à galène
  • récepteur à cristalan early kind of radio receiver
  • poste à galènean early kind of radio receiver
  • poste de radio à cristalan early kind of radio receiver
German Detektorempfänger, Detektorradio
  • Detektorempfängeran early kind of radio receiver
  • Detektorradioan early kind of radio receiver
Italian radio a galena
  • radio a galenaan early kind of radio receiver
Norwegian Bokmål krystallapparat, krystallmottaker
  • krystallapparatan early kind of radio receiver
  • krystallmottakeran early kind of radio receiver
Portuguese rádio de galena
  • rádio de galenaan early kind of radio receiver
Russian дете́кторный приёмник
  • дете́кторный приёмник (detéktornyj prijómnik)an early kind of radio receiver
Spanish radio a galena
  • radio a galenaan early kind of radio receiver
Swedish kristallapparat, kristallmottagare
  • kristallapparatan early kind of radio receiver
  • kristallmottagarean early kind of radio receiver
Cite this entry
APA

crystal set. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystal%20set

MLA

“crystal set.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystal%20set. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “crystal set,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/crystal%20set.

Source: crystal set on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.