telegraph.
Synonym of telegraphy, any process for transmitting arbitrarily long messages over a long distance using a symbolic code.
Meaning & usage
Synonym of telegraphy, any process for transmitting arbitrarily long messages over a long distance using a symbolic code.
This strict sense of telegraph developed from French usage for Napoleon's overland semaphore network but rather arbitrarily excludes similar Chinese and other signalling networks.
The electrical device gradually developed in the early 19th century to transmit messages (telegrams) using Morse code; the entire system used to transmit its messages including overhead lines and transoceanic cables.
The first message transmitted by telegraph in the United States was WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT.
A visible or audible cue that indicates to an opponent the action that a character is about to take.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from French télégraphe, equivalent to tele- (“far, distant”) + -graph (“writing”), suggested as a new name for Claude Chappe's overland semaphore network by André François Miot de Mélito in place of Chappe's original tachygraphe (“tachygraph, fast writer”).
To use a telegraph; to send a message by telegraph.
To clearly communicate to another nonverbally (whether by gesture, a change in attitude, or any other sign), and especially unintentionally.
Her frown telegraphed her displeasure.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from French télégraphe, equivalent to tele- (“far, distant”) + -graph (“writing”), suggested as a new name for Claude Chappe's overland semaphore network by André François Miot de Mélito in place of Chappe's original tachygraphe (“tachygraph, fast writer”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.