Elint

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Information collected by intercepting and analyzing electromagnetic signals such as radar emissions from enemy equipment
2. Military or security intelligence obtained by monitoring and interpreting electronic transmissions like radio and radar
3. The gathering of data from non-communication electronic emissions to identify and track hostile or foreign systems

Etymology: ELINT is a blend of "electronic" and "intelligence," and the word is used in military and intelligence circles for the interception and analysis of electronic signals that are not voice communications, such as radar emissions from enemy air defences. The "elint" spelling is simply the lowercase form of the same abbreviation. Blending two words into one is a common way to name a new activity: the first half supplies the technology and the second half supplies the purpose. Here "electronic" tells you the medium and "intelligence" tells you that the signals are gathered for analysis rather than for their own sake. The result reads like a single familiar noun, even though it was built from two parts that were never combined before.

Synonyms: electronic intelligence