Prerecordings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A recorded sound or video captured before its intended playback or broadcast
2. Multiple audio or video segments saved in advance for later use
3. The act of capturing media content ahead of time for future presentation or distribution

Etymology: "Prerecording" is a plain compound: the prefix "pre-" (from Latin "prae," meaning "before") attached to "recording," the noun from the verb "record." Its sense is literal, so its story is mostly one of usage rather than invention. The "record" in "recording" comes from Old French "recorder," meaning to call back to mind, from Latin "recordari," to remember, built on "cor," "heart," since the Romans linked memory with the heart. Only later did "record" come to mean setting down sound or images for later use, a sense that grew with the phonograph in the late 19th century. "Prerecording" itself is a 20th-century formation, emerging as sound recording on tape and disc became common and people needed a word for material captured in advance of broadcast or release. The plural "prerecordings" simply denotes multiple such items.

Synonyms: recordings, tapes, tracks