Etymology

-phone

Today it means: A type of sound. Full definition →

Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) ← Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Hellenic*pʰōnā́
  3. Ancient Greekφωνή (phōnḗ)
  4. English today-phone

From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound, voice, speech, language”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰoh₂neh₂, from *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”); related to fame and fable. Some terms ending in phone, such as textphone, are actually compounds made with phone.

Words from the same roots

Ancient Greekφωνή all →

telephonesaxophonefrancophonephononphonationapophonydentiphone-phonicphono-

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.