telephone
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: The noun is derived from tele- (prefix meaning ‘from a distance’) + -phone (suffix denoting a device which makes a sound), modelled after German Telephon (“early apparatus converting sound into electrical signals”) (dated) (now German Telefon). The word was first used to refer to the modern device in 1876 by the Scottish-born Canadian-American engineer Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922).
The prefix tele- is ultimately derived from Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle, “afar, far away, far off”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷelh₁- (“to turn end-over-end; to revolve around; hence, to dwell, sojourn”). The suffix -phone is ultimately from Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound; voice”), and Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to say; to speak”).
Noun sense 4.4 (“system of communication using musical notes”) is borrowed from French téléphone (“kind of megaphone; system of communication using musical notes”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Affixes: tele-
-phone
Inflected forms:
form: telephones
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: telephoning
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: telephoned
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: telephoned
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: To convey (information, a message, news, etc.) using a telephone (noun sense 1).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: David telephoned his apologies to his mother. On the way we had had our first puncture, and had taken some time to change the wheel, as we were unable to find the jack.
He telephoned what he knew to his chief, the information such as to cause the smug complacency of that gentlemen in his henchman's prowess to vanish from his expression, […]
gloss: To (attempt to) contact (someone) using a telephone.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The length ganger saw the train passing with the van derailed and promptly telephoned the Sandbach signalman, who restored his signals to danger, but not in time to stop the train before the final derailment occurred.
gloss: To provide (a place) with a telephone system.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: The London County Council prepared careful estimates for telephoning London in 1898, and those estimates were submitted to Parliament. It contended that it could provide a telephone service for the County Council area of London at £38 per subscriber capital outlay, after setting aside the necessary funds for the debt charge and after paying the Post Office the 10 per cent. royalty.
gloss: To transmit (sounds) over a distance.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: Do you hear the chemical accents of the sun? / Do you telephone the roar of the waters over the earth?
gloss: To (attempt to) contact someone using a telephone; to make a telephone call.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: I came down like a wolf on the fold, didn't I? Why didn't I telephone? Strategy, my dear boy, strategy. This is a surprise attack, and I'd no wish that the garrison, forewarned, should escape.
Having completed their task, Fireman Page telephoned from a lineside box to the next signal cabin, briefly reported the incident and said that, as no high explosive had dropped and the track was safe, they proposed proceeding "at caution".
The only chance we had was to telephone to the manager of the hotel in Calgary to send two bottles of Scotch without fail by the next train leaving Calgary for the west.
Synonyms: telephone
call
call up
dial up
drop a line
get on the horn
give someone a bell
give someone a buzz
give someone a call
give someone a jingle
give someone a ring
give someone a tinkle
phone
ring
ring up
Derived words: telephonable
phone
retelephone
telephoned
telephoner
telephoning
Translations:
lang: Albanian
word: telefonoj
lang: Arabic
word: تَلْفَنَ
roman: talfana
lang: Armenian
word: զանգել
roman: zangel
lang: Armenian
word: զանգահարել
roman: zangaharel
lang: Armenian
word: հեռաձայնել
roman: heṙajaynel
lang: Azerbaijani
word: zəng etmək
lang: Azerbaijani
word: zəng vurmaq
lang: Belarusian
word: тэлефанава́ць
roman: teljefanavácʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: патэлефанава́ць
roman: pateljefanavácʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: звані́ць
roman: zvanícʹ
lang: Belarusian
word: пазвані́ць
roman: pazvanícʹ
lang: Bengali
word: টেলিফোন করা
roman: ṭeliphōn kora
lang: Breton
word: pellgomz
lang: Bulgarian
word: телефони́рам
roman: telefoníram
lang: Bulgarian
word: оба́ждам се
roman: obáždam se
lang: Bulgarian
word: оба́дя се
roman: obádja se
lang: Burmese
word: ဖုန်းဆက်
roman: hpun:hcak
lang: Catalan
word: telefonar
lang: Catalan
word: cridar
lang: Catalan
word: trucar
lang: Cherokee
word: ᎦᎸᏛᏂᎭ
roman: galvdvniha
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 打電話 /打电话
roman: dǎ diànhuà
lang: Crimean Tatar
word: telefon etmek
lang: Czech
word: telefonovat
lang: Czech
word: zatelefonovat
lang: Czech
word: volat
lang: Czech
word: zavolat
lang: Danish
word: ringe
lang: Danish
word: telefonere
lang: Dutch
word: telefoneren
lang: Dutch
word: bellen
lang: Dutch
word: opbellen
lang: Esperanto
word: telefoni
lang: Esperanto
word: alvoki
lang: Estonian
word: helistama
lang: Finnish
word: soittaa (puhelimella)
lang: French
word: téléphoner
lang: French
word: appeler
lang: Galician
word: telefonar
lang: Georgian
word: დარეკვა
roman: dareḳva
lang: German
word: telefonieren
lang: German
word: anrufen
lang: Greek
word: τηλεφωνώ
roman: tilefonó
lang: Greek
word: καλώ
roman: kaló
lang: Hebrew
word: צילצל \ צִלְצֵל
roman: tsiltsél
lang: Hindi
word: फ़ोन करना
roman: fon karnā
lang: Hungarian
word: telefonál
lang: Icelandic
word: hringja
lang: Icelandic
word: hringja í
lang: Ido
word: telefonar
lang: Indonesian
word: menelepon
lang: Indonesian
word: memanggil
lang: Italian
word: telefonare
lang: Japanese
word: 電話をかける
roman: denwa o kakeru
lang: Japanese
word: 電話する
roman: denwa suru
lang: Kazakh
word: телефон соғу
roman: telefon soğu
lang: Kazakh
word: қоңырау шалу
roman: qoñyrau şalu
lang: Khmer
word: និយាយទូរសព្ទ
roman: niyiəy tuurĕəʼsap
lang: Korean
word: 전화를 걸다
roman: jeonhwareul geolda
lang: Korean
word: 전화하다
roman: jeonhwahada
lang: Northern Kurdish
word: telefon kirin
lang: Kyrgyz
word: шыңгыратуу
roman: şıŋgıratuu
lang: Lao
word: ຕີເຕເລໂຟນ
roman: tī tē lē fōn
lang: Latvian
word: telefonēt
lang: Latvian
word: piezvanīt
lang: Latvian
word: zvanīt
lang: Lithuanian
word: telefonuoti
lang: Lithuanian
word: skambinti
lang: Macedonian
word: телефони́ра
roman: telefoníra
lang: Macedonian
word: ѕвони
roman: dzvoni
lang: Macedonian
word: заѕвони
roman: zadzvoni
lang: Malay
word: menelefon
lang: Malay
word: memanggil
lang: Maltese
word: ċempel
lang: Māori
word: rīngi
lang: Māori
word: waea
lang: Mongolian
word: утасдах
roman: utasdax
lang: Norwegian Bokmål
word: ringe
lang: Pashto
word: تېلېفون کول
roman: telefǔn kawël
lang: Persian
word: تلفن کردن
roman: telefon kardan
lang: Persian
word: تلفن زدن
roman: telefon zadan
lang: Persian
word: دورواژیدن
roman: durvâžidan
lang: Persian
word: زنگ زدن
roman: zang zadań
lang: Polish
word: telefonować
lang: Polish
word: zatelefonować
lang: Polish
word: dzwonić
lang: Polish
word: zadzwonić
lang: Portuguese
word: telefonar
lang: Portuguese
word: ligar
lang: Romanian
word: a telefona
lang: Romansh
word: telefonar
lang: Russian
word: телефони́ровать
roman: telefonírovatʹ
lang: Russian
word: звони́ть
roman: zvonítʹ
lang: Russian
word: позвони́ть по телефо́ну
roman: pozvonítʹ po telefónu
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: fòn
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: телефони́рати
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: назвати на телефон
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: telefonírati
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: nazvati na telefon
lang: Slovak
word: telefonovať
lang: Slovak
word: zatelefonovať
lang: Slovak
word: volať
lang: Slovak
word: zavolať
lang: Slovene
word: telefonirati
lang: Spanish
word: telefonear
lang: Spanish
word: llamar por teléfono
lang: Sranan Tongo
word: bèl
lang: Sranan Tongo
word: kari
lang: Sranan Tongo
word: naki wan konkrutitei
lang: Sranan Tongo
word: naki wan gengen
lang: Swahili
word: piga simu
lang: Swedish
word: telefonera
lang: Swedish
word: ringa
lang: Tajik
word: телефон кардан
roman: telefon kardan
lang: Thai
word: โทร
roman: too
lang: Thai
word: โทรศัพท์
roman: too-rá-sàp
lang: Tibetan
word: ཁ་དཔར་གཏོང་བ
roman: kha dpar gtong ba
lang: Turkish
word: telefon etmek
lang: Turkish
word: telefonlamak
lang: Turkish
word: aramak
lang: Ukrainian
word: телефонува́ти
roman: telefonuváty
lang: Ukrainian
word: зателефонува́ти
roman: zatelefonuváty
lang: Ukrainian
word: дзвони́ти
roman: dzvonýty
lang: Ukrainian
word: подзвони́ти
roman: podzvonýty
lang: Urdu
word: فون کرنا
roman: fon karnā
lang: Urdu
word: ملانا
roman: milānā
lang: Uyghur
word: تېلېفون بەرمەك
roman: tëlëfon bermek
lang: Uzbek
word: telefon qilmoq
lang: Uzbek
word: qoʻngʻiroq qilmoq
lang: Vietnamese
word: phôn
lang: Vietnamese
word: điện
lang: Vietnamese
word: điện thoại
lang: Vietnamese
word: gọi điện
lang: Vietnamese
word: gọi điện thoại
lang: Vietnamese
word: kêu điện thoại
lang: Volapük
word: telefonön
lang: Yiddish
word: טעלעפֿאָנירן
roman: telefonirn