telegraphese etymology

Etymology:

• Telegraph: From Greek "tele" (far) + "graphein" (to write)
• Telegraphese: A portmanteau of "telegraph" and "telegraph language"

Meaning:

Telegraphese refers to a concise, abbreviated style of communication used in telegrams, which were the primary means of long-distance communication before the advent of the telephone.

Origin:

Telegraphese emerged in the mid-19th century with the invention of the electric telegraph by Samuel Morse. Telegrams were initially expensive to send, so users sought ways to reduce their length while still conveying essential information.

Key features of telegraphese include:

• Abbreviated Words: Words were shortened to their root or stem forms, such as "recvd" for "received" and "resp" for "respectfully."
• Omission of Articles: Articles ("a," "an," "the") were often omitted to save space.
• Limited Punctuation: Punctuation was minimal, with periods and commas used sparingly.
• Codes and Acronyms: Standard codes were developed to represent common phrases and abbreviations, such as "OTOH" for "On the other hand."
• Numbered Paragraphs: Telegrams were divided into numbered paragraphs for clarity and organization.

Over time, telegraphese became an established language of its own, with its own conventions and lexicon. It was used in both business and personal communications, as a way to convey information quickly and efficiently.

With the advent of cheaper communication methods, telegraphese gradualmente decreased in usage, but its influence can still be found in modern-day communication, such as text messages and social media posts.

telegraphese relate terms

• cablese

  Etymology Cable Middle English from Old French cable from Latin capulum rope Eas

• cable

  Etymology The word cable derives from the Latin word capulum which means halter

• telegraph

  Etymology From the Greek tēle far and graphein to write Literally means to wr

• tele

  Etymology The word tele originates from the Greek word tēle which means far dis

• telegram

  Etymology The word telegram is derived from the Greek words tele τῆλε meani

• Adam

  Etymology Derived from the Hebrew word adamah אדמה meaning earth or ground

• derogatory

  Etymology The word derogatory comes from the Latin adjective derogatorius which mean

• quarry

  Etymology The word quarry comes from the Old French word carriere which in turn is der

• account

  Etymology The word account comes from the Old French word acount which in turn deriv

• swallow

  Etymology Old English swelgan to swallow Proto Germanic swalgan Proto Indo Europe

• address

  Etymology The word address derives from the Old French word adrecier which in turn

• Mississippi

  Etymology The name Mississippi is derived from two Algonquian words Misi pronounce

• experience

  Etymology The word experience comes from the Old French word esprover which in turn

• commonwealth

  Etymology The word commonwealth is derived from the Middle English term common wele

• cult

  Etymology The word cult comes from the Latin word cultus which means worship re