television
Meaning
A system for converting visual images (with sound) into electrical signals, transmitting them, and displaying them electronically on a screen.
A device with a screen for receiving and displaying these broadcast signals.
The programs broadcast in this way.
Structure
Usage
The invention of television revolutionized home entertainment and news dissemination.
We gathered around the television to watch the championship game.
She works in television, producing documentaries for a major network.
Etymology
The word 'television' is a modern compound, coined in the early 20th century from two classical elements. The first part, 'tele-', originates from the Ancient Greek tēle, meaning "far away." The second part, 'vision', derives from the Latin visio, meaning "sight" or "thing seen," which itself comes from the verb vidēre, "to see." The term was constructed by analogy with 'telephone' (far sound) to logically mean "far sight" or "seeing at a distance." It perfectly encapsulates the core function of the technology: transmitting visual information across long ranges.
Analysis
- tele: From Greek tēle-, meaning "far off, at a distance." It functions as a combining form in English. - vision: From Latin visio (genitive visionis), meaning "act of seeing, sight." It functions as the core noun element.