Telephone
/ˈtɛl.ɪ.foʊn/noun
A device used for transmitting sound, especially speech, over distance.
Did you know?Its roots are Greek, but the word itself was coined in the 19th century, when new technology was often named with ancient-sounding, almost incantatory language.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
tēle
“far, at a distance”
Ancient Greek
Greek
phōnē
“voice, sound”
1830s
French
téléphone
“a device for transmitting sound over distance”
1840s
English
telephone
“an instrument for sending speech electronically over a distance”
Modern English
English
telephone
“a device for transmitting speech and sound over distance”
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