Origin: Greek suffix -phone
Telephone has 5 different meanings across 2 categories:
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
"I talked to him on the telephone"
A telecommunication device (originally mechanical, and now electronic) used for two-way talking with another person (now often shortened to phone).
"She picked up her telephone to call her mother before leaving the house."
In plain English: A telephone is a device that lets you talk to someone far away by sending their voice through wires or signals.
"She answered the telephone quickly when it rang."
To (attempt to) contact someone using the telephone.
"I tried to telephone my sister three times before her phone finally rang."
In plain English: To telephone someone means to call them on the phone.
"I will telephone my friend to tell him about the meeting change."
Usage: Use this verb when you are actively calling or trying to reach someone by phone, rather than simply stating that communication occurred via telephone. It often implies an attempt at connection, as in "I telephoned him three times," but can also describe a successful call depending on context.
The word telephone entered English in 1876 when Alexander Graham Bell applied it to his new device. It was borrowed from French and ultimately combines Ancient Greek roots meaning "far" and "voice."