Walkman

See also: walkman

English

Etymology

A trademark; from walk +‎ man, coined in reference to an earlier product, Pressman, a portable tape recorder for journalists.

Proper noun

Walkman

1. A Sony portable personal compact cassette player product line.
   • 1991, Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho, London: Picador, →ISBN, page 4:

     He places the Walkman in the case alongside a Panasonic wallet-size cordless portable finding Easa-phone (he used to own the NEC 9000 Porta portable) and pulls out today’s newspaper.

2. A Sony brand for personal portable audio media players.
   • 1997, Bernard MacLaverty, 'Grace Notes' (novel), (Chapter 1, at page 5 in the 1998 Vintage paperback edition):

     Outside the toilets school parties from France and Germany stood in stiff groups photographing themselves. They talked loudly without removing their Walkmans. Their headsets sizzled and tished.

3. (derogatory) A street urchin.

Derived terms

• Discman (Sony CD-based device like a Walkman)
• walkman (genericization)

Noun

Walkman (plural Walkmans)

1. Alternative letter-case form of walkman