Where does “answerphone” come from?
answerphone (English) comes from English telephone, from French téléphone, from French télé-, from Ancient Greek τῆλε, from Latin commūnicāre, from Latin commūnis, from Old Latin com(m)oinis, from Proto-Italic kommoinis — to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,...
answerphone (English): A telephone containing a built-in device for...
Definitions
- A telephone containing a built-in device for...
Ancestry of “answerphone”, step by step
answerphone traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English telephone
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | telephone | A telecommunication device used for two-way... |
| 2 | French | téléphone | telephone; first-person singular present... |
| 3 | French | télé- | tele- |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τῆλε | far off, afar, far away |
| 5 | Latin | commūnicāre | — |
| 6 | Latin | commūnis | common, commonplace, ordinary, general, universal, shared, shared alike, of both sides, belonging to two or more together |
| 7 | Old Latin | com(m)oinis | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kommoinis | common |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱom-moy-ni- | held in common |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 12 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 13 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 14 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 15 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 16 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 17 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gū- | to bend; curve; arch; vault; to bow, bend, arch,... |
via English answer
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | answer | A response or reply; something said or done in... |
| 2 | Middle English | answere | A response to a query or questioning; an... |
| 3 | Old English | andswaru | answer |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | andaswaru | answer, reply |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | andaswarō | answer, reply |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | anda- | against, opposing; un-, de- |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |