Radiotelephone

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A telephone that sends and receives voice signals by radio waves instead of over wires, often used by ships, aircraft or mobile users
2. An apparatus for voice communication over a radio link rather than a cable, allowing speech to be carried across distances without fixed lines
3. A communication device that converts speech into radio transmissions so that conversations can be held wirelessly with distant stations or vehicles

Etymology: A radiotelephone is, quite literally, a telephone that works by radio: the name simply bolts together "radio" and "telephone," with no special sense added along the way. The first half traces back to the Latin "radius," meaning a ray or spoke of a wheel, which gave English the verb "radiate" and eventually the shortened "radio" for electromagnetic waves. "Telephone" is built from the Greek "tele," meaning far off, and "phone," meaning sound or voice, so the whole compound describes distant voice transmission. The combination is a clear example of how English builds technical vocabulary. Once wireless transmission of sound became practical in the early twentieth century, speakers needed a way to distinguish a voice carried through the air from one carried through a wire, and joining the two existing words did the job. The compound therefore dates from the period when both parts had already become familiar in their modern senses.

Synonyms: radiophone