Facetiming

Part of speech: verb, gerund

Definitions

1. To communicate with someone using Apple's FaceTime application for real-time video and audio calls over the internet
2. To have a video conversation with another person through the FaceTime service on an Apple device
3. To connect with someone through a video call using Apple's FaceTime platform for live audio and visual communication

Etymology: Before it named a video call, "face time" meant time spent physically in someone's presence, the in-person contact thought necessary to build a relationship or win someone's favor. The sense of "face" was literal: you had to be in front of the other person. Apple's trademarked FaceTime applied the old compound to its video-calling feature, so "face" now referred to a screen rather than a body. The name became a verb, and "facetiming" is simply that verb in its -ing form, the present participle used for ongoing action, as in "we were facetiming." English often turns brand names into verbs this way, as with "googling," and the word's original in-person meaning survives mostly as a historical contrast.

Synonyms: video calling, videoconferencing