album

noun

al·​bum ˈal-bəm 

plural albums

1

a(1)

: a book for holding a collection of items (such as photographs, stamps, or coins) on pages that are initially blank

a photo album

(2)

: a digital folder (as on a smartphone or computer) for grouping image or video files

b

: a collection of one or more audio recordings that is presented as a single unit and is typically longer than a single or an EP

a 2-CD album

She released her new album on vinyl as well as digitally.

c

dated : a cardboard container for one or more phonograph records : jacket

2

: a collection usually in book form of literary selections, musical compositions, or pictures : anthology

Synonyms

• anthology
• collectanea
• compendium
• compilation
• florilegium
• miscellany
• reader

Examples of album in a Sentence

She played a track from the group's latest album.

a special anniversary album of his poetry published 100 years after his death

Recent Examples on the Web

As is typical for an older album, most of those units come from streaming activity. —Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

Both remain busy making new music; Rodgers released a solo album, Midnight Rose, in 2023, while Kirke has written a stage musical about addiction that’s currently being shopped and is also planning his fourth solo album during the spring. —Gary Graff, Billboard, 28 Apr. 2025

Post-hardcore luminaries Rye Coalition formed in New Jersey in the late 1990s, bringing in Wiley for the aforementioned 2002 album, On Top. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2025

Years of grief and feelings of shame and failure have been poured into her debut album At The Beach, In Every Life, out now via Island Records. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier, "book in which signatures, epigrams, verse, etc., are inscribed as mementos," borrowed from New Latin (short for album amīcōrum "register of friends"), going back to Latin, "the color white, white tablet or noticeboard, official list or register," noun derivative from neuter of albus "white, light-colored, fair, transparent," perhaps going back to Indo-European *h₂elb^ho- "white," whence also Umbrian alfu, neuter accusative plural, "white," Greek alphós "skin disorder manifested as white spots, probably vitiligo"

Note: The reconstruction of *h₂elb^ho- with *h₂e is necessary as long as Indo-European a is not admitted, but nothing else appears to support the reconstruction. The etymon has been implicated in the Celtic derivative nominal base *albii̯o- "world," whence Welsh elfydd "world, earth, land, country" (Old Welsh elbid, Middle Welsh eluit) and the Gaulish divine name Albiorīx, literally, "world-king." According to this hypothesis, *albii̯o- forms a counterpart to Celtic *dubno- (> *dumno-) "world," whence Old Irish domun "world," Gaulish Dumnorīx, a personal name, literally, "world-king." Originally these two etyma would have denoted distinct entities, *albii̯o-, from *alb^ho- "white," being the lighter, brighter upper world (compare semantically Old Church Slavic světŭ "light, world"); *dubno-, on the other hand, nominalized from the adjective *dubno- "deep" (whence Old Irish domain "deep," Welsh dwfn), denoted the depths of the earth and bodies of water (see deep entry 1). Attempts have been made, with varying degrees of acceptance, to link *alb^ho- "white" with other etyma, as a Germanic and Slavic word for "swan" (Old English aelbitu [Corpus and Epinal glossaries], ylfetu, Middle High German albiz, elbiz, Old Icelandic ǫlpt, genitive alptar, Russian lébedʼ, Polish łabędź, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian lȁbūd); also with a variety of geographical names, as Latin Albis "the river Elbe" and other river names (compare Old Icelandic elfr "river," Danish elv, Swedish älv), Latin Alpēs "the Alps"; and with Germanic *albi-, *alba-, name of a mythological being (see elf).

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing album

• concept album
• double album
• live album
• photo album
• tribute album

Kids Definition

album

noun

al·​bum ˈal-bəm 

1

a

: a book with blank pages in which to put a collection (as of autographs, stamps, or photographs)

b

: a container for a phonograph record

c

: one or more recordings (as on tape or disc) produced as a single unit

2

: a collection usually in book form of literary selections, musical compositions, or pictures : anthology

Medical Definition

album

see arsenicum album, prontosil album