radio
UK[ˈreɪdiəʊ]US[ˈreɪdioʊ]
n
A piece of electronic equipment used for listening to broadcasts sent through the air.
n
The system or business of sending out programmes to be listened to by the public using this equipment.
n
A piece of electronic equipment that can both send and receive spoken messages using radio waves.
v
To send a message to someone using a radio.
Etymology
The word 'radio' is a modern English shortening, first used in the early 20th century. It derives from the prefix 'radio-', taken from 'radiotelegraphy', which itself was formed from the Latin noun 'radius', meaning 'ray' or 'beam'. This Latin term is thought to come from the Proto-Indo-European root 'reh₁t-', meaning 'to scrape, scratch, gnaw', but its semantic shift to 'ray' in Latin is likely due to the visual concept of lines radiating from a central point like spokes on a wheel. The application of 'radio-' to wireless communication is based on the pioneering work on electromagnetic radiation, or 'rays', by scientists like Hertz and Marconi, thus linking the ancient concept of a radiating beam to the modern technology of transmitting information through invisible electromagnetic waves.
Analysis
The word 'radio' is a simplex loanword. It is a shortening of 'radiotelegraphy' and 'radioconductor', where the combining form 'radio-' originates from the Latin word 'radius', meaning 'ray, beam, spoke of a wheel'. In this context, it refers to radiation or radiant energy.
Examples
She turned on the radio to listen to the morning news.
He works in local radio as a news presenter.
The pilot radioed the control tower to request permission to land.