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videocassette

videocassette

6 5.2
A plastic box that holds a tape for playing or recording video and sound
  • noun
  • /ˌvɪdiəʊkæˈsɛt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : videocinta
  • But late one night, he told me he had something to show me, and he put a videocassette into the VCR.
  • videocassette recorder
  • videocassette player
  • VHS videocassette

Examples

  • The film became especially popular as a videocassette rental.

    Academic text (1993)
  • There will be no need to obtain a videocassette or otherwise obtain a fresh transmission of the cultural content.

    Academic text (2001)
  • While some of your students may not have videocassette players at home, you will find that those students are a diminishing breed.

    Academic text (1994)
  • I picked up my purse and pulled out the frosted plastic box with the videocassette.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • And the labor cost to repair a malfunctioning videocassette recorder is higher than the price of a replacement.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Public cinema remained a vital part of urban life in Tanzania until the videocassette revolution challenged theaters in the mid-1980s.

    Academic text (2005)
  • A videocassette encased in the customary black box flips repeatedly, held by an impatient grasp.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • For products such as televisions, refrigerators, videocassette recorders, stereos, blenders, and ovens, the relaxation of controls will directly benefit the middle class.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Can you recommend a good movie on videocassette that I can rent?

  • I found an old videocassette of my favorite childhood film in the attic.

Synonyms

videotape
vsvideocassette
  • Archaic
488 3.0

A tape that records or plays moving pictures

is the plastic case that holds the tape for recording and playback
cassette
vsvideocassette
  • Archaic
81 2.6

A small flat plastic case that holds tape for music or video

is specific to video use rather than sound
video recording
vsvideocassette
6 2.2

A film of moving images with sound that you can watch later

is the physical plastic case that contains the recorded tape

Surface Forms

videocassette singular

Morphology

videocassette = video + cassette (transparent) = video + cassette

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'video' (moving visual images) and 'cassette' (a tape cartridge), so learners knowing both parts can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Videocassette comes from two parts: video, meaning 'to see' and the same root as vision, and cassette, meaning 'little box' or 'small case'. So a videocassette is simply a small box that holds video tape for recording and playing, which explains its modern meaning.