Science & TechnologyGreek → English
Telephone
/ˈtɛlɪfoʊn/
A device that transmits speech over distance.
The Greek roots
τῆλε
tēle
far off
φωνή
phōnḗ
voice, sound
Literally: “far voice”
The story of the word
Coined in the 19th century from Greek elements to name the new invention that carried the human voice across great distances — literally a 'far-sound'.
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
In a sentence
She picked up the telephone before it finished its first ring.