Meanings
plural closed-circuit televisions
- countableuncountableA system of television cameras used for surveillance, connected to a control room (originally by cables and today either by cables or by secure wireless).
Holborn Underground Station, on London Transport's Piccadilly and Central Lines, has been equipped with closed-circuit television to help control passenger movement.
1963 January, “News and comment”, in Modern Railways, page 14Synonyms: CCTV
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA system of television cameras used for surveillance, connected to a control room (originally by cables and today either by cables or by secure wireless).
Origin
So called because of the contrast between broadcast use (the typical use of television, especially when this name was coined) and private use closed off to others.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan circuit tancat de televisió
- circuit tancat de televisiósystem of television
Chinese Mandarin 閉路電視 /闭路电视
- 閉路電視 /闭路电视 (bìlù diànshì)system of television
Danish tv-overvågning, videoovervågning
- tv-overvågningsystem of television
- videoovervågningsystem of television
Finnish kameravalvonta
- kameravalvontasystem of television
Polish telewizja przemysłowa, telewizja obserwacyjna
- telewizja przemysłowasystem of television
- telewizja obserwacyjnasystem of television
- monitoringsystem of television
- wideonadzórsystem of television
Welsh teledu cylch cyfyng
- teledu cylch cyfyngsystem of television
Cite this entry
closed-circuit television. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/closed-circuit%20television
“closed-circuit television.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/closed-circuit%20television. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “closed-circuit television,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/closed-circuit%20television.
Source: closed-circuit television on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.