Morse

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /mɔːs/

Definitions

1. A method of transmitting messages as a series of short and long signals, typically represented by dots and dashes
2. A communication code that conveys letters and numbers by combinations of brief and extended sounds or light flashes
3. A way to send information by using sequences of short and long signals to represent characters

Etymology: In Middle French, "mors" meant the bit of a bridle, the metal piece a horse takes in its mouth, and also a clasp or fastening. Both senses come from Latin "morsus," a bite or a grip, which is itself from the verb "mordere," to bite. A bit bites into a horse's mouth, and a clasp bites onto whatever it fastens, so the physical sense of gripping sits underneath both meanings. The dot-and-dash signalling sense that most readers know now is a much later use of the same word. It doesn't describe the code's technical workings, but its name carries the older idea of a grip or hold.