pre-electricadj.n.
/ˌpriːᵻˈlɛktrɪk/, U.S. /ˌpriəˈlɛktrɪk/, /ˌpriiˈlɛktrɪk/ Occurring in or relating to the time before the use of electricity, esp. in the recording of music. Also occasionally as n.: a record made in this period.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > [adjective]
pre-electric1901
pre-electrical1924
society > communication > record > recording or reproducing sound or visual material > sound recording and reproduction > a sound recording > [adjective] > type of record
long-playing1883
out of print1896
seven-inch1902
twelve-inch1903
ten-inch1908
white-label1927
instantaneous1937
single-sided1937
long-play1948
pre-electric1960
platinum1964
1901 Daily Herald (Delphos, Ohio) 14 Nov. 3/4 But the Oriental still lives in a pre-electric world.
1934 C. Lambert Music Ho! iv. 257 Recording will have improved on the present methods as much as the present methods have improved on the old pre-electric horn recording.
1945 J. Rowe & T. Watson Junkshoppers' Discogr. 2 Except for the M.C.B.B. and ‘Hottentot’ items, Aco are all pre-electric (acoustic) recordings.
1960 Guardian 8 Mar. 7/1 One has to listen to old pre-electrics with a ‘creative ear’.
1999 J. Crace Being Dead (2000) xxiii. 189 The pavement stalls, their wares side-lit by lanterns from the town's pre-electric past, were already trading Sunday treats.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1901