telephone

English Online Dictionary. What means telephone‎? What does telephone mean?

English

Etymology

First used by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 to refer to the modern instrument, but previous devices had been given this name, which was borrowed from French téléphone. Ultimately from Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle, “afar”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “voice, sound”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛl.ɪˌfəʊn/, /ˈtɛl.əˌfəʊn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛl.əˌfoʊn/
• Hyphenation: tel‧e‧phone

Noun

telephone (countable and uncountable, plural telephones)

2. (countable, telephony) A telecommunication device (originally mechanical, and now electronic) used for two-way talking with another person (now often shortened to phone).

   Synonyms: (slang) blower, phone, (slang) Ameche, (slang) dog and bone, (informal) horn, (slang) pipe; see also Thesaurus:phone

   Hyponym: cellphone

3. (countable, historical) The receiver of such a device.
4. (Canada, US, uncountable) The game of Chinese whispers.
5. (Canada, US, uncountable, figuratively) Chinese whispers; a situation in which an initial message has been distorted and misunderstood by being passed from person to person.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

telephone (third-person singular simple present telephones, present participle telephoning, simple past and past participle telephoned)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To (attempt to) contact someone using a telephone.
2. (transitive) To convey (a message) via telephone.

Synonyms

• call, drop a line, phone, ring
• See also Thesaurus:telephone

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

• phenetole