crystal set
- noun
- /ˈkrɪstl sɛt/
- Archaic
:
receptor de cristal
- She closed out the world as she listened to the crystal set.
Examples
-
Radios were still novel enough in 1925 not to appear often in the shop, except for crude, rudimentary crystal sets, clumsily assembled by amateurs.
Fiction book (2002) -
When I was a boy, I built my first crystal set and listened to it under the covers with a single earphone.
-
So turn up your crystal sets.
-
Jack had built crystal sets when he was a boy.
Fiction book (1992) -
My interest in electronics started with a crystal set, the same as most boys.
Fiction book (1990) -
I think it was in the in the stuff I was doing immediately and I wanted it because I think the crystal set is one of the greatest things ever made.
-
He stops, distracted by something he's listening to on his crystal set.
Fiction book (1996) -
It was common for boys to build crystal sets and dissect and reassemble watches.
Blog text (9) -
By September 1950, Krekler had placed 125 crystal sets in neighborhood homes within five miles of the station and had 20 more ready to distribute, with parts for an additional 200 on hand.
Academic text (2007) -
My mother could remember her brothers putting together a crystal set, and the excitement of the whole family at first hearing voices over the radio waves.
Synonyms
5
5.3
A device that receives radio broadcasts for people to listen to
How Complex
- Specialized
1
3.5
∞
1.0
- Archaic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'crystal' (a piece of quartz used for frequency control) combined with 'set' (a device or receiver) yields a receiver that uses a crystal, which matches the defined meaning. This noun+noun compound follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern so a B1 learner who knows the constituent senses would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Crystal set comes from an old kind of simple set that was a small 'radio' using a tiny crystal and a thin wire to pick up signals without batteries. That's why the name now means a very simple 'radio'.