tel·e·phoneAudio Help (těl'ə-fōn') Pronunciation Key
n.
An instrument that converts voice and other sound signals into a form that can be transmitted to remote locations and that receives and reconverts waves into sound signals.
v.
tel·e·phoned, tel·e·phon·ing, tel·e·phones
v.
tr.
To speak with (a person) by telephone.
To initiate or make a telephone connection with; place a call to.
To transmit (a message, for example) by telephone.
v.
intr.
To engage in communication by telephone.
tel'e·phon'er n.
Word History: The everyday word telephone illustrates some important linguistic and etymological processes. First, the noun telephone is one of a class of technological and scientific words made up of combining forms derived from classical languages, in this case tele- and -phone. Tele- is from the Greek combining form tēle- or tēl-, a form of tēle, meaning "afar, far off," while -phone is from Greek phōnē, "sound, voice." Such words derived from classical languages can be put together in French or German, for example, as well as in English. Which language actually gave birth to them cannot always be determined. In this case French téléphone (about 1830) seems to have priority. The word was used for an acoustic apparatus, as it originally was in English (1844). Alexander Graham Bell appropriated the word for his invention in 1876, and in 1877 we have the first instance of the verb telephone meaning "to speak to by telephone." The verb is an example of a linguistic process called functional shift. This occurs when a word develops a new part of speech: a noun is used as a verb (to date), a verb as a noun (a break), an adjective as a noun (the rich), a noun as an adjective (a stone wall), or even an adjective as a verb (to round). When we telephone a friend, we are changing the syntactic function of telephone, making it a verb rather than a noun.
1835, "apparatus for signaling by musical notes" (devised by Sudré in 1828), from Fr. téléphone (c.1830), from télé- "far" (see tele-) + phone "sound" (see fame). Also used of other apparatus early 19c., including "instrument similar to a foghorn for signaling from ship to ship" (1844). The electrical communication tool was first described in modern form by P.Reis (1861); developed by Bell, and so called by him from 1876. The verb is attested from 1878.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds; "I talked to him on the telephone"
2.
transmitting speech at a distance
verb
1.
get or try to get into communication (with someone) by telephone; "I tried to call you all night"; "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning" [syn: call]
(often abbreviated tophone) foun an instrument for speaking to someone from a distance, using either an electric current which passes along a wire or radio waves Example: He spoke to me by telephone / on the telephone; (also adjective) a telephone number/operator
Arabic:
تلفون، هاتِف
Chinese (Simplified):
电话机
Chinese (Traditional):
電話機
Czech:
telefon(ický)
Danish:
telefon; telefon-
Dutch:
telefoon
Estonian:
telefon
Finnish:
puhelin
French:
(de) téléphone
German:
das Telefon; Telefon…
Greek:
τηλέφωνο, τηλεφωνικός
Hungarian:
telefon
Icelandic:
sími
Indonesian:
telepon
Italian:
telefono; di telefono*, telefonico
Japanese:
電話
Korean:
전화
Latvian:
telefons
Lithuanian:
telefonas
Norwegian:
telefon
Polish:
telefon
Portuguese (Brazil):
telefone
Portuguese (Portugal):
telefone
Romanian:
(de) telefon
Russian:
телефон; телефонный
Slovak:
telefón; telefonický
Slovenian:
telefon; telefonski
Spanish:
teléfono
Swedish:
telefon
Turkish:
telefon
telephone1[ˈtelifəun]verb
to (try to) speak to (someone) by means of the telephone Example: I'll telephone you tomorrow.
Arabic:
يَتَحَدَّث بالهاتِف
Chinese (Simplified):
打电话
Chinese (Traditional):
打電話
Czech:
(za)telefonovat
Danish:
ringe til
Dutch:
telefoneren
Estonian:
helistama
Finnish:
soittaa
French:
téléphoner (à)
German:
anrufen
Greek:
τηλεφωνώ
Hungarian:
telefonál
Icelandic:
hringja í
Indonesian:
menelepon
Italian:
telefonare
Japanese:
電話をかける
Latvian:
telefonēt, zvanīt pa telefonu
Lithuanian:
paskambinti (telefonu)
Norwegian:
telefonere
Polish:
telefonować, dzwonić
Portuguese (Brazil):
telefonar
Portuguese (Portugal):
telefonar
Romanian:
a telefona
Russian:
звонить
Slovak:
telefonovať
Slovenian:
telefonirati
Spanish:
telefonear, llamar por teléfono
Swedish:
telefonera, ringa
Turkish:
telefon etmek
telephone2[ˈtelifəun]verb
to send (a message) or ask for (something) by means of the telephone Example: I'll telephone for a taxi.
Arabic:
يُرْسِلُ أو يَطْلُبُ بالهاتِف
Chinese (Simplified):
用电话告知
Chinese (Traditional):
用電話告知
Czech:
telefonovat
Danish:
ringe efter
Dutch:
telefoneren
Estonian:
telefoni teel teatama, telefoni teel tellima
Finnish:
järjestää puhelimitse
French:
téléphoner
German:
telefonieren
Greek:
τηλεφωνώ για κτ., καλώ
Hungarian:
telefonál
Icelandic:
hringja í
Indonesian:
menelepon
Italian:
telefonare
Japanese:
電話で伝える
Latvian:
pasūtīt, *ziņot pa telefonu
Lithuanian:
pranešti, *užsakyti telefonu
Norwegian:
telefonere til
Polish:
telefonować, dzwonić
Portuguese (Brazil):
telefonar
Portuguese (Portugal):
telefonar
Romanian:
a telefona
Russian:
передавать, вызывать по телефону
Slovak:
telefonovať
Slovenian:
telefonirati
Spanish:
telefonear, llamar por teléfono
Swedish:
telefonera, ringa
Turkish:
telefon etmek
telephone3[ˈtelifəun]verb
to reach or make contact with (another place) by means of the telephone Example: Can one telephone England from Australia?
Arabic:
يَتَّصِلُ بالهاتِف
Chinese (Simplified):
通电话
Chinese (Traditional):
通電話
Czech:
telefonovat
Danish:
ringe
Dutch:
bellen
Estonian:
telefoni teel ühendust saama
Finnish:
soittaa puhelimella
French:
téléphoner (à, en, chez)
German:
telefonieren
Greek:
τηλεφωνώ
Hungarian:
telefonál
Icelandic:
hringja til
Indonesian:
menelepon
Italian:
telefonare
Japanese:
電話をかける
Latvian:
sazvanīt; dabūt savienojumu
Lithuanian:
paskambinti į
Norwegian:
nå over telefonen
Polish:
telefonować, dzwonić
Portuguese (Brazil):
telefonar
Portuguese (Portugal):
telefonar
Romanian:
a telefona
Russian:
связываться по телефону
Slovak:
telefonovať
Slovenian:
telefonirati
Spanish:
telefonear, llamar por teléfono, hacer una llamada
Tel"e*phone\, n. [Gr. ? far off + ? sound.] (Physics) An instrument for reproducing sounds, especially articulate speech, at a distance. Note: The ordinary telephone consists essentially of a device by which currents of electricity, produced by sounds through the agency of certain mechanical devices and exactly corresponding in duration and intensity to the vibrations of the air which attend them, are transmitted to a distant station, and there, acting on suitable mechanism, reproduce similar sounds by repeating the vibrations. The necessary variations in the electrical currents are usually produced by means of a microphone attached to a thin diaphragm upon which the voice acts, and are intensified by means of an induction coil. In the magnetic telephone, or magneto-telephone, the diaphragm is of soft iron placed close to the pole of a magnet upon which is wound a coil of fine wire, and its vibrations produce corresponding vibrable currents in the wire by induction. The mechanical, or string, telephone is a device in which the voice or sound causes vibrations in a thin diaphragm, which are directly transmitted along a wire or string connecting it to a similar diaphragm at the remote station, thus reproducing the sound. It does not employ electricity.
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Audio Help [tel-uh-fohn] Pronunciation Key noun, verb, -phoned, -phon·ing. 
