phone
/foʊn/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
φωνή (phōnē) — sound, voice, tone
Overview
Meaning Now
- A telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be heard directly.
- A single speech sound or phone segment in linguistics.
Literal older meaning
sound; voice
Language path
Ancient Greek → English
Earliest form
phone
Earliest period
19th century
Journey
The term 'phone' entered common usage as a casual abbreviation for 'telephone' following the invention of the device by Alexander Graham Bell and others in the late 19th century. In linguistic study, it serves a distinct technical purpose representing the physical realization of a speech sound.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
φωνή
“sound or voice”
- 19th century English
telephone
“device for transmitting sound over distance”
Coined from tele- + phone.
- Modern English
phone
“mobile or landline communication device”
Connections
Word parts
phone
root
sound
Related across languages
French
téléphone
telephone
German
Telefon
telephone
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Related to phone
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.