heterodyne

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adjective

Of two oscillations: having two slightly different frequencies such that, when combined, they produce a beat

OriginEnglish hetero- ← Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros) ← Proto-Hellenic *hə́teros →
UncommonScrabble 17
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Meanings

adjectiveheterodyne (not comparable)
  1. not comparableOf two oscillations: having two slightly different frequencies such that, when combined, they produce a beat
nounheterodyne (plural heterodynes)

plural heterodynes

  1. The beat so produced
  2. Either the sum or difference of the two oscillations
verbheterodyne (third-person singular simple present heterodynes, present participle heterodyning, simple past and past participle heterodyned)

present singular third person heterodynes · participle present heterodyning · participle past heterodyned · past heterodyned

  1. To produce heterodyne interference in a radio
  2. To change the frequency of a signal by such a process

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sḿ̥teros
  3. Proto-Hellenic*hə́teros
  4. Ancient Greekἕτερος (héteros)
  5. Englishhetero-
  6. Englishheterodyne

From hetero- + -dyne.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

heterodyne. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterodyne

MLA

“heterodyne.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterodyne. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heterodyne,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heterodyne.

Source: heterodyne on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.