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telegraphy
noun
te·leg·ra·phy
tə-ˈle-grə-fē
: the use or operation of a telegraph apparatus or system for communication
Examples of telegraphy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Local reformers penned essays and articles in the flourishing Arab-language presses to communicate their reflections on time but also, occasionally, poems about telegraphy and clocks.
—Vanessa Ogle, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2015
Field became interested in telegraphy after meeting electrical engineer Frederic Newton Gisborne in 1854.
—Robert Klara, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024
Most of his inventions dealt with electric railways and telegraphy.
—IEEE Spectrum, 27 Aug. 2023
As early as 1909, Jordan and the head of his civil engineering department gave a recent alum access to the school’s high voltage laboratory, facilitating the creation of a long-range telegraphy company and ultimately making Stanford a hub for the burgeoning radio industry.
—Scott W. Stern, The New Republic, 6 Feb. 2023
What about telegraphy?
—Tom Mullaney, Quartz, 29 May 2021
Sir William Brooke O’Shaughnessy (1808–1889), MD, FRS, LRCS Ed: Chemical pathologist, pharmacologist and pioneer in electric telegraphy.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2016
By telegraphy, Chicago’s need for fire engines could be known seconds after a telegrapher sent short and long bursts of electricity across a wire, which his counterpart at the other end would read as SOS.
—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023
Considering how telegraphy helped Chicago prosper, the city’s movers and shakers had a stake in improving it.
—Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2023
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Word History
First Known Use
1794, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing telegraphy
Dictionary Entries Near telegraphy
Cite this Entry
“Telegraphy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/telegraphy. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
telegraphy
noun
te·leg·ra·phy
tə-ˈleg-rə-fē
: the use or operation of a telegraph system or equipment
More from Merriam-Webster on telegraphy
Britannica English: Translation of telegraphy for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about telegraphy
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