Teletypewriters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of electronic communication device that combines a keyboard and a printer to transmit and receive typed messages over telephone lines
2. An apparatus for sending and receiving printed messages using a keyboard, often utilized in telecommunication networks
3. A device that integrates a typewriter and a telegraph system to enable the exchange of typed text over distances via electrical signals

Etymology: Teletypewriters are the plural of "teletypewriter," so the history below is that of the singular. The word is a compound: "tele-," from Greek "têle," meaning "far" or "distant," joined to "typewriter." The "tele-" element is the same one found in "telegraph" and "telephone," so the name simply describes a typewriter that works over a distance. The Greek root carries the long-distance sense, while the second half comes from the familiar office machine that prints one letter at a time when a key is pressed. Combining the two gives a machine whose keystrokes are transmitted to a far-off receiver, which then prints the same characters. The "tele-" prefix was a popular choice in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for inventions that bridged distance, which is why so many communication devices share it.

Synonyms: teleprinters