(n.) An instrument by means of which a sound can be made to produce a visible trace or record of itself. It consists essentially of a resonant vessel, usually of paraboloidal form, closed at one end by a flexible membrane. A stylus attached to some point of the membrane records the movements of the latter, as it vibrates, upon a moving cylinder or plate.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). phonautograph. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/phonautograph/definitions/2044842 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "phonautograph" http://smartdefine.org/phonautograph/definitions/2044842 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, phonautograph, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/phonautograph/definitions/2044842>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "phonautograph" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/phonautograph/definitions/2044842> |