album

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe music releases, but they differ in size and feel. An 'album' is the standard full-length release — usually 8 to 15 tracks — and is the term you reach for in everyday talk: 'her new album drops Friday.' 'Record' is the older, broader word; it can mean any commercial release ('a record deal') or specifically a vinyl disc, and feels slightly retro or industry-flavoured. 'LP' (long-playing) names the 33-rpm vinyl format and is mainly used by collectors and DJs. A 'single' is one song put out on its own to promote an album or test the market, while an 'EP' (extended play) sits between a single and an album, typically 3 to 6 tracks. So: 'Her debut album has twelve songs, but the lead single came out two months earlier.'

Common collocations

Etymology

From Latin 'album', meaning a white tablet or board on which Roman officials wrote public notices in black ink. In the 17th century, German scholars borrowed the word for the blank books they passed around to collect signatures and sayings from friends, the so-called 'album amicorum'. From there it spread into English as a name for any blank book used to gather photos, stamps, or other keepsakes. The music meaning came in the early 1900s, when record companies sold sets of 78-rpm discs in bound book-like covers — a 'record album' — and the name stuck even after single long-playing discs replaced the bound sets.