telegraphic
Meaning
using very few words, as if sending a telegram
of or relating to a telegraph
Structure
Usage
she sent a telegraphic message with just the essential details.
his reports were famously telegraphic, omitting all pleasantries.
the telegraphic code allowed for faster transmission of information.
Etymology
the word 'telegraphic' is built upon the noun 'telegraph', which itself is a 19th-century coinage from greek elements to describe a device for 'writing at a distance'. the core concept of distance is carried by 'tele-', a prefix prevalent in scientific and technological terms. the notion of writing or recording is encapsulated in '-graph', a root fundamental to countless words about inscription and description. the suffix '-ic' then converts the noun into an adjective, first describing anything pertaining to the telegraph apparatus. from this, the modern figurative sense evolved, where the concise, abbreviated style necessitated by the cost of sending telegrams came to characterize any similarly terse mode of communication.
Analysis
- tele: from greek tēle-, meaning 'far off, at a distance'. functions as a combining form indicating distance. - graph: from greek graphē, meaning 'writing, drawing'. functions as a root denoting the act or result of writing. - ic: from latin -icus, from greek -ikos, an adjective-forming suffix meaning 'of, pertaining to, or resembling'.