Ed ‧ i ‧ son, Thom ‧ as Al ‧ va /ˈedəs ə n, ˈedɪs ə n, ˈtɒməs ˈælvə $ ˈtɑː-/ BrE AmE
(1847–1931) a US inventor who made over 1300 electrical inventions, including the ↑ microphone , the record player, and equipment for the cinema. He is most famous for inventing the ↑ light bulb (=a glass container with a thin wire inside, which produces light by using electricity).