Etymology

headphones

H4E1A1D2P3H4O1N1E1S1

Today it means: A pair of cushioned speakers worn over or in the ears so only the wearer can hear the sound. Full definition →

English phones ← Middle English heed ← Old English hēafod
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*káput
  4. Proto-Germanic*haubudą
  5. Old Englishhēafod
  6. Middle Englishheed
  7. Englishhead
  8. Englishphones
  9. English todayheadphones

From head + phones.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.