telephone
telephone
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "telephone" is /ˈtɛlɪfoʊn/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds in each syllable:
tel /tɛl/
/t/ - unvoiced alveolar plosive
/ɛ/ - open-mid front unrounded vowel
/l/ - alveolar lateral approximant
e /ɪ/
/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel
phone /foʊn/
/f/ - unvoiced labiodental fricative
/oʊ/ - close-mid back rounded vowel (diphthong)
/n/ - alveolar nasal
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: telephone
Plural Noun: telephones
Verb (base form): telephone
Verb (third-person singular present): telephones
Verb (present participle): telephoning
Verb (past tense/past participle): telephoned
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: An electronic device used to transmit and receive human speech over long distances, typically by converting sound waves into electrical signals and back again.
Synonyms: phone, cell phone, mobile phone, landline, smartphone (for modern versions)
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms, as it's a specific object)
Definition 2: A system or network of such devices, allowing for widespread communication.
Synonyms: telecommunications, phone system, communication network
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Verb
Definition 1: To communicate with someone using a telephone; to make a phone call to.
Synonyms: call, ring (British English), dial, phone
Antonyms: hang up (implies ending a call, but not an opposite action of initiating)
Adjective
Definition 1: Pertaining to or involving the use of a telephone.
Synonyms: telephonic, phone (as in "phone call")
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms)
Examples of Use
Books:
"He rushed to the telephone, his hands trembling as he dialed the familiar number." (From The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, February 2019)
"For years, the black rotary telephone in the hallway was their only link to the outside world." (From Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, August 2018)
Newspapers:
"The police department received an anonymous telephone tip that led to the arrest." (As seen in a local newspaper article regarding crime)
"Analysts suggest a significant drop in landline telephone subscriptions as mobile penetration increases." (Reported in a financial newspaper)
Online Publications:
"How to Choose the Best VoIP Telephone System for Your Small Business" (An article on a business technology website)
"The ongoing debate about whether to answer an unknown telephone number continues on social media forums." (From a technology news blog)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television Series: "I can't believe she still uses a flip-phone. It's like a telephone from another era!" (Dialogue from an episode of a popular sitcom)
Film: In the movie The Matrix, the protagonists frequently use public telephone booths to enter and exit the simulated reality. (Released March 1999)
Music: The song "Telephone Line" by Electric Light Orchestra features the recurring phrase "Hello, how are you? Have you been alright, through all those lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely nights? That's what I'd say, I'd tell you everything, if you would answer when I telephone." (Released 1977)
Video Games: Many adventure games feature telephone puzzles where players must dial specific numbers to progress. (Common trope in various games, e.g., Max Payne, July 2001)
General Public Discourse:
"Could you please telephone Dr. Evans and reschedule my appointment for next week?" (A common request in a doctor's office setting, any given month and year)
"My grandmother still prefers to telephone her friends rather than text them." (A casual conversation between individuals, any given month and year)
"There was a telephone interview scheduled for this morning, but the candidate didn't call." (Discussed in a human resources department, any given month and year)
10 Quotes Using Telephone
"Mr. Watson—Come here—I want to see you." (Alexander Graham Bell, first intelligible words spoken over the telephone, March 1876)
"Consider that a conversation by telephone—when you are simply sitting by and not taking any part in that conversation—is one of the solemnest curiosities of this modern life." (Mark Twain, "A Telephonic Conversation," 1880)
"The value of the telephone is the value of what two people have to say." (Oscar Wilde, Only Dull People Are Brilliant at Breakfast, 1891)
"The word morality, if we met it in the Bible, would surprise us as much as the word telephone or motor car." (George Bernard Shaw, Fanny's First Play, Preface, 1911)
"You know who I've always depended on? Not strangers, not friends. The telephone! That's my best friend." (Marilyn Monroe, cited in Marilyn Monroe's Personal 1955 New York City Phone Bills, August 1955)
"It is romantic, you know, the transatlantic telephone. To speak so easily to someone nearly halfway across the globe." (Agatha Christie, Death in the Clouds, 1935)
"Science must not impose any philosophy, any more than the telephone must tell us what to say." (G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 1908)
"The telephone is the greatest nuisance among conveniences, the greatest convenience among nuisances." (Robert Staughton Lynd, Knowledge for What?, 1939)
"A world without radio is a deaf world. A world without television is a blind world. A world without telephone is a dumb world. A world without communication is indeed a crippled world." (Ernest Agyemang Yeboah)
"I hate telephones. If I could, I'd send a carrier pigeon." (Attributed to Sir Winston Churchill, though a verifiable source for this exact phrasing is difficult to pin down to a specific date/publication)
Etymology
The word "telephone" comes from two ancient Greek words:
"tele-" (τῆλε) meaning "far" or "distant"
"phone" (φωνή) meaning "voice" or "sound"
So, literally, "telephone" means "distant voice" or "far sound."
While Alexander Graham Bell is famously credited with inventing the modern electric telephone in 1876, the word "telephone" was actually used for much older, non-electrical devices. For example, Gottfried Huth created a "telephon" in 1796, and the term was also applied to "speaking tubes" or even string-and-can telephones that children might play with.
The first known use of the noun "telephone" in the English language in a context close to its modern meaning dates back to the 1830s. At that time, it referred to systems designed to transmit sounds over a distance, often using musical notes or other mechanical means, not necessarily electrical signals. It was Johann Philipp Reis in 1860 who used the term "telephone" for his device, which was one of the first to convert sound into electrical impulses. However, it was Alexander Graham Bell who popularized the term when he successfully patented his electric speech-transmitting device in 1876, and from then on, the word became strongly associated with the communication tool we know today.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Telephone
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "telephone" or its close synonyms:
Telephone tag: A situation in which two people repeatedly try to reach each other by telephone but keep missing each other.
On the telephone: Currently engaged in a telephone conversation.
To get someone on the telephone: To successfully make contact with someone by telephone.
To put someone on the telephone: To connect someone to a telephone call, often to speak to another person.
The telephone rings off the hook: A situation where a telephone rings constantly because of a very high volume of calls.
To have a good telephone manner: To be polite and effective when speaking on the telephone.
By telephone: Via a telephone call (e.g., "We conducted the interview by telephone.")
Broken telephone/Chinese whispers: A game or situation where a message becomes distorted as it is passed from one person to another, often by whispering. (Uses "telephone" to refer to the chain of communication)
To work the phones: To make many telephone calls, often for sales or political campaigning.
To be tied to the telephone: To be unable to leave a location because one is expecting or making frequent telephone calls.
To hot-line (a synonym idiom): To call a direct, often emergency, phone line.
To be glued to one's phone (a synonym idiom): To be constantly checking or using one's mobile phone.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of telephone from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
