photographone

P3H4O1T1O1G2R1A1P3H4O1N1E1

noun

A device, consisting essentially of an electric arc and a camera, by which a series of photographs of the variations of the arc due to sound waves are obtained for reproduction by means of a selenium cell and a telephone.

OriginAncient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) ← Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ ← Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- →
Scrabble 24
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Meanings

nounphotographone (plural photographones)

plural photographones

  1. datedA device, consisting essentially of an electric arc and a camera, by which a series of photographs of the variations of the arc due to sound waves are obtained for reproduction by means of a selenium cell and a telephone.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Ancient Greekφωτο- (phōto-)
  7. Englishphoto-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*gerbʰ-
  9. Proto-Hellenic*grə́pʰō
  10. Ancient Greekγράφω (gráphō)
  11. Englishphotograph
  12. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  13. Proto-Hellenic*pʰōnā́
  14. Ancient Greekφωνή (phōnḗ)
  15. Englishphotographone

Blend of photograph + -phone.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

photographone. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photographone

MLA

“photographone.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photographone. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “photographone,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photographone.

Source: photographone on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.