telephone
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈtɛl.ɪˌfəʊn/
ipa: /ˈtɛl.əˌfəʊn/
ipa: /ˈtɛl.əˌfoʊn/
note: Indic
ipa: /ʈɛlɪpʰon/
note: Indic
ipa: /ʈɛləpʰon/
note: Indic
ipa: /-f/
Forms: form: telephones
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”).
Senses: topics: communications
electrical-engineering
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
telecommunications
telephony
synonyms: word: blower
word: phone
word: Ameche
word: dog and bone
word: horn
word: pipe
word: phone
word: telephone
word: blower
word: pipe
word: Ameche
word: dog and bone
word: horn
glosses: A telecommunication device (originally mechanical, and now electronic) used for two-way talking with another person (now often shortened to phone).
glosses: The receiver of such a device.
examples: text: And since the spring of 1995, no game of telephone has ended without some Simpsons-loving smart-ass dropping “purple monkey dishwasher” into the chain.
ref: 2013 October 27, Erik Adams, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “The PTA Disbands””, in The Onion AV Club:
glosses: The game of Chinese whispers.
examples: text: In other words, Jones' career and life may have been derailed because a game of telephone went bad.
ref: 2017 October 3, David Dobbs, “The Touch of Madness”, in Pacific Standard:
glosses: Chinese whispers; a situation in which an initial message has been distorted and misunderstood by being passed from person to person.
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: answerphone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: antitelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: big white telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: broken telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: candlestick telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: cellular telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: cordless telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: daffodil telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: EPR telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: Everett-Wheeler telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: field telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: French telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: magnetotelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: mobile telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: monotelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: on the telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: pantelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: pedestal telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: pillar telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: plain old telephone service
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: post office telephone system
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: premium-rate telephone number
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: pretelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: public telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: radiotelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: radio-telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: satellite telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: talk to God on the big white telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: talk to Ralph on the big white telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telco
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telemarketing
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonable
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone alphabet
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone answering machine
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone-bell
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone book
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone booth
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone box
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone call
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone card
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone conference
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone desk
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone directory
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone exchange
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone game
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone girl
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone jack
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone kiosk
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephoneless
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonelike
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone line
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone number
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone operator
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone pole
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephoner
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone ring
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone scatologia
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone sex
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone shower
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephone tag
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonic
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonicate
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonist
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonitis
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonology
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonophile
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonophobia
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephonophobic
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telephony
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: telethon
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: thermotelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: tin can telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: Tucker telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: untelephoned
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: videotelephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: white-telephone
sense: Terms derived from telephone (noun)
word: white telephone