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tel·e·phone (tĕlə-fōn′)
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n.
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.
tele·phon′er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    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:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    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.

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