Where does “alphabet radio” come from?

alphabet radio (French) comes from French radio, from French radiotélégraphiste, from French télégraphiste, from French télégraphe, from French télé-, from Ancient Greek τῆλε, from Latin commūnicāre, from Latin commūnis — whale, sea monster; abyss.

alphabet radio (French): spelling alphabet

Definitions

  1. spelling alphabet

Ancestry of “alphabet radio”, step by step

alphabet radio traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via French radio

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchradioradio, tuner
2Frenchradiotélégraphisteradiotelegraphist
3Frenchtélégraphistetelegraphist
4Frenchtélégraphetelegraph
5Frenchtélé-tele-
6Ancient Greekτῆλεfar off, afar, far away
7Latincommūnicāre
8Latincommūniscommon, commonplace, ordinary, general, universal, shared, shared alike, of both sides, belonging to two or more together
9Old Latincom(m)oinis
10Proto-Italickommoiniscommon
11Proto-Indo-Europeanḱom-moy-ni-held in common
12Proto-Indo-Europeanḱómbeside, near, by, with
13Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱeDeictic particle, here; Post-positional...
14Middle Englishkyt
15Russianкитwhale; genitive plural of ки́та
16Old Church Slavonicкитъwhale
17Ancient Greekκῆτοςwhale, sea monster; abyss

via French alphabet

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchalphabetalphabet set of letters considered as a group
2Latinalphabētumalphabet
3Byzantine Greekἀλφάβητονaccusative singular of ἀλφάβητος; alphabet
4Ancient Greekἀλφάβητοςalphabet
5Ancient Greekἄλφαalpha, the name for the first letter Α, α of the...
6Phoenician𐤀𐤋𐤐thousand; bull, ox, head of cattle
7Proto-Semitic*ʔalp-thousand
Every word from Ancient Greek κῆτοςEvery word from Old Church Slavonic китъEvery word from Russian кит