Offline

Part of speech: adjective, adverb

Pronunciation: /ɒfˈlaɪn/

Definitions

1. Lacking a connection to the internet or digital networks
2. Operating without a live link to the internet or other digital communication systems
3. Functioning in a mode that does not require or use a network connection

Etymology: "Offline" is a plain compound: "off" joined to "line," with the sense of being disconnected from a communication line. The "line" here is the telephone or telegraph wire that once linked a device or station to a central network, so a machine that was "off the line" was no longer connected to it. The word's pattern is the same as "online," which describes being connected to that network. The sense has widened over time. What began as a term for equipment cut off from a telecommunications circuit now covers any device, file or service that works without a live internet connection, from a laptop editing a document on a train to a game that can be played without Wi-Fi. The word is used as both an adjective ("an offline mode") and an adverb ("I worked offline all day").

Synonyms: disconnected, unplugged, not connected

Antonyms: online, connected