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An instrument for simultaneously transmitting and receiving speech or other sounds over a distance by converting the sounds into signals that are sent to a similar instrument and converting them back into sounds.
v.tel·e·phoned, tel·e·phon·ing, tel·e·phones
v.tr.
1.
a. To make or try to make a telephone connection with; place a call to:telephoned the police station.
b. To dial (a telephone number).
2. To transmit (a message, for example) by telephone:I telephoned that I was sick and could not come to work.
v.intr.
To engage in communication by telephone:She telephoned to invite us to the party.
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.