The phonograph, also called gramophone (from the Greek: γράμμα, gramma, "letter" and φωνή, phōnē, "voice") or record player, is a device introduced in 1877 for the recording and reproduction of sound recordings. The recordings played on such a device consist of waveforms that are engraved onto a rotating cylinder or disc. As the cylinder or disc rotates, a stylus or needle traces the waveforms and vibrates to reproduce the recorded sound waves.
