Phrase guide

crystal set

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

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

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

an early radio receiver using a crystal detector

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: radio receiver, receiving set, radio set, radio, tuner, wireless

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: ràdio de galena — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Chinese Mandarin: 礦石收音機 /矿石收音机 (kuàngshí shōuyīnjī) — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Danish: krystalapparat — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Danish: krystalmodtager — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Dutch: kristalontvanger — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Finnish: kideradio — an early kind of radio receiver
  • French: récepteur à cristal — an early kind of radio receiver
  • French: poste à galène — an early kind of radio receiver
  • French: poste de radio à cristal — an early kind of radio receiver
  • German: Detektorempfänger — an early kind of radio receiver
  • German: Detektorradio — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Italian: radio a galena — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Norwegian Bokmål: krystallapparat — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Norwegian Bokmål: krystallmottaker — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: krystallapparat — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: krystallmottakar — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Portuguese: rádio de galena — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Russian: дете́кторный приёмник (detéktornyj prijómnik) — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Spanish: radio a galena — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Swedish: kristallapparat — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Swedish: kristallmottagare — an early kind of radio receiver
  • Volapük: kristadaparat — an early kind of radio receiver