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télégraphe

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Etymology and origin of the French word télégraphe

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1792 Miot de Mélito More words from the 18th century
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek τῆλε,γράφω
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French télégraphe
English telegraph

Pronunciation

  • /te.le.ɡʁaf/[1]

Forms

télégraphe m (plural télégraphes)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French télé- + -graphe,[2][3][1] from Ancient Greek τῆλε (têle, “far off”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to write”).[4][5] The name was proposed in 1792 by Miot de Mélito to Claude Chappe, who had called his signalling machine tachygraphe “fast writer”.[2][3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

In 1792 it named the Chappe brothers' apparatus, which sent signals by a combination of movable arms on a high place;[2][3] Miot de Mélito recalls in his memoirs that he suggested the name in place of tachygraphe.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Because the Chappe telegraph looked like a figure waving its arms, faire le télégraphe came to mean “to gesticulate” (1872).[3][4] After the electric telegraph appeared (télégraphe électrique, 1830, télégraphe Morse, 1860), the older machine was called télégraphe aérien.[2][3] The word then entered many phrases (télégraphe sous-marin 1857, télégraphe imprimeur 1856) before it declined with the rise of the telephone and radiotelegraphy.[2][3] From 1835 it also named the administration running the network, and its building from 1869;[2] it survived in the name Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones (P.T.T.).[3]

Timeline

  • 1792 – Miot de Mélito proposes the name for Chappe's machine.[2][6]
  • 1794 – A law of the Republic names le télégraphe.[2]
  • 1830 – Télégraphe électrique is recorded.[2][3]
  • 1835 – Stendhal uses it for the telegraph administration.[2]
  • 1845 – Télégraphe aérien is recorded.[2]
  • 1860 – Télégraphe Morse is recorded.[2][3]
  • 1872 – Littré records faire le télégraphe “to gesticulate”.[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A telegraph, a device that sends messages quickly over a distance by coded signals: prévenir la préfecture par télégraphe.[7][2]
  2. Télégraphe aérien, télégraphe de Chappe: an optical telegraph that sent signals with movable arms set on a high place, a sémaphore.[7][2]
  3. Télégraphe électrique, télégraphe Morse: a system sending coded signals along an electric line.[7][2]
  4. (dated) The telegraph administration or its building.[2]

Word family

  • télégraphie
  • télégraphique
  • télégraphier
  • télégraphiste
  • radiotélégraphie

Usage notes

Faire le télégraphe “to gesticulate a lot” is recorded by Littré in 1872.[4][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  7. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Télégraphe.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/t%C3%A9l%C3%A9graphe. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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