telegram

Where does the word "telegram" come from? It comes from Greek tele, and was adopted directly into English (1852).

Telegram’s story begins in Greek: tele meant “far off.” Far off, combined with gramma (something written). It reached English by 1852 as telegram. Coined in the United States from Greek tele (far) and gramma (written thing) for a message sent by telegraph. Today, telegram means a message transmitted by telegraph and printed for delivery.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient tele "far off", far off, combined with gramma (something written).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1852 telegram "a message sent by telegraph", coined in the United States from Greek tele (far) and gramma (written thing) for a message sent by telegraph.