Etymologically
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wireless

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 12:43. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈwaɪə.ləs/ (UK); /ˈwaɪ(jə)ɹ.ləs/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from wire and -less.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Without wires: by 1862 of unstrung pianos, and 1886 of bustles; by 1876 of telegraphy without wires.[2] The OED dates the adjective from 1894.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

Marconi's system came into use in 1897 and the word was applied to it; by 1900 it also covered sending speech, wireless telephony, and so radio broadcasting.[2] As a noun, radio broadcasting is from 1903 and a radio-telegram from 1904,[4] and a radio set from the 1920s (1921 in Etymonline, 1927 in the OED).[2][4] Both senses were later replaced by the international radio, though wireless lasted in British use.[2][6] In the late 20th century it was revived for computer networks and devices that work without cables.[7][6]

Timeline

  • 1862 – of unstrung pianos.[2]
  • 1876 – wireless telegraphy.[2]
  • 1894 – the adjective, in the OED.[4]
  • 1903 – radio broadcasting.[4]
  • 1921 – a radio set.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Using radio signals rather than wires: a wireless network.

Noun

  1. (chiefly British, dated) A radio set, or radio broadcasting.
  2. A wireless computer network.

Word family

  • wirelessly
  • wirelessness
  • prewireless
  • wireless telegraphy
  • wireless telephony

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin