superheterodyne Hear it!

superheterodyne Definition

super·het·ero·dyne (so̵̅o̅′pər het′ər ə dīn′)

adjective

designating or of a form of radio reception in which part of the amplification prior to demodulation is carried out at an intermediate supersonic frequency produced by beating the frequency of the received carrier waves with that of locally generated oscillations

Etymology: super(sonic) + heterodyne

noun

a radio set for this method of reception

superheterodyne Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • receiver: IF is also the name of a stage in a superheterodyne receiver.
  • circuit: FM radios use a superheterodyne circuit to reduce the mean carrier frequency of the selected FM station down to 10.7 MHz prior to demodulation.