I. ˈteləˌfōn noun
Etymology: tel- (I) + -phone
1. : an instrument for reproducing sounds especially articulate speech at a distance: as
a. : a device in which the voice or sound causes in a thin diaphragm vibrations that are directly transmitted along a wire or string connecting it to a similar diaphragm thus reproducing the sound
b. : an apparatus consisting of a transmitter (as a microphone) for converting sound especially of the human voice into electrical impulses or varying electrical current for transmission by wire, a receiver for reproducing the original sounds from such transmitted varying electrical current, and usually a switch and a signaling device
2. : any of various devices (as a sound-signaling device or a speaking tube) resembling or suggesting the telephone
II. intransitive verb
: to communicate by telephone : call on the telephone
transitive verb
1. : to send (as a message) by telephone
2. : to speak to (a person) by telephone : call on the telephone