equipment for making records
"After the concert ended, she carefully packed her portable recorder to preserve the final encore before heading home."
someone responsible for keeping records
"The new recorder will start logging all our meeting minutes tomorrow."
a barrister or solicitor who serves as part-time judge in towns or boroughs
"The recorder presided over the local magistrates' court last Friday, handling several minor traffic offenses."
a tubular wind instrument with 8 finger holes and a fipple mouthpiece
"The old man adjusted his glasses to better see the intricate keywork on his wooden recorder before taking a deep breath."
An apparatus for recording; a device which records.
"The young student carefully cleaned her recorder before tuning it to C major for the morning practice session."
A musical instrument of the woodwind family; a type of fipple flute, a simple internal duct flute.
In plain English: A recorder is a small, flute-like musical instrument that you play by blowing air through it.
"The school has two audio recorders in the library for students to use during their research projects."
Usage: While often used interchangeably with tape recorder, this term specifically refers to the electronic device that captures sound or data without implying magnetic tape storage. It is distinct from the musical instrument of the same name when discussing audio equipment versus wind instruments.
The word recorder comes from the Old French recordour, which was borrowed into Middle English. It originally referred to someone who called things to mind or remembered them, deriving from a Latin root meaning "to remember" by combining "again" with "heart."