Etymologically
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playback

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:49. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈpleɪˌbæk/[1]

Etymology

It is the noun use of the verb phrase play back,[2][3][4] formed from English play + back.[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The reproduction of a recording, especially soon after it has been made: 1929, in the magazine Photoplay.[3][5][4] The sense "a device for playing recordings" is also from 1929.[3]

Semantic evolution

The word began with sound recording in 1929, when it named both the act of playing a recording back and the apparatus that did it.[3][4] It later covered visual recordings as well, and was used figuratively.[3] In film, from 1952, playback was the technique of recording a song beforehand so that an actor could mime to it on screen, which also gave playback singer.[3][6]

Timeline

  • 1929 – the reproduction of a recording; also a device for playing recordings.[3][4][5]
  • 1952 – in film, a pre-recorded soundtrack mimed by an actor; a playback singer.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of playing back a sound or video recording, especially just after it has been made: The band listened to the playback before recording another take.[7][4][3]
  2. The part of a tape recorder or other machine that plays back recordings, or a device for doing so.[7][4][3]
  3. (film) The technique of recording music for a soundtrack beforehand so that an actor can mime to it.[3][6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins