cassette

noun

cas·​sette kə-ˈset 

ka-

variants or less commonly casette

1

: casket sense 1

2

: a usually flat case or cartridge that can be easily loaded or unloaded: such as

a

: a lightproof magazine for holding film or plates for use in a camera

b

: a plastic cartridge containing magnetic tape with the tape passing from one reel to another

3

: a cassette tape player

Examples of cassette in a Sentence

The songs are available on cassette.

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, the Goody stores weren’t merely about LPs, cassette tapes, speaker cabinets, and sheet music. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 20 Dec. 2024

This is a true international endeavor: German director Wim Wenders collaborated with Japanese writer Takuma Takasaki to make a whimsical film about a Tokyo toilet cleaner who is obsessed with analog film and Patti Smith cassette tapes. —Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Dec. 2024

The songs were released on compact disc and cassette tape in 1994, several months after singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain died by suicide. —Mark Jones, The Arizona Republic, 16 Dec. 2024

One organizer recalls a client who had an extensive collection of cassette tapes for learning Dutch. —Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, diminutive of dialect French (Norman & Picard) casse case

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cassette

noun

cas·​sette kə-ˈset 

ka-

: a container holding film, photographic plates, or magnetic tape

Medical Definition

cassette

noun

cas·​sette

variants also casette

kə-ˈset, ka- 

1

: a lightproof magazine for holding film or plates for use in a camera

specifically : one for holding the intensifying screens and film in X-ray photography

2

: a small plastic cartridge containing magnetic tape with the tape on one reel passing to the other