magnetophone

M3A1G2N1E1T1O1P3H4O1N1E1

noun

A tape recorder (device using magnetic tape as a storage medium).

OriginGerman Magnetophon →
First used ca. 1940sScrabble 20
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Meanings

nounmagnetophone (plural magnetophones)

plural magnetophones

  1. datedA tape recorder (device using magnetic tape as a storage medium).First known use ca. 1940s
  2. datedAn electromagnetic microphone.First known use late 19th–mid-20th c.

Origin

  1. GermanMagnetophon
  2. Englishmagnetophone

From magneto- + -phone. The sense “tape recorder” is probably a semantic loan from German Magnetophon (modern spelling Magnetofon), which was initially a brand name).

More words from German

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“magnetophone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magnetophone. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “magnetophone,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magnetophone.

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