Standard Lemma guide

teletype

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtɛlɪˌtaɪp/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T EH1 L AH0 T AY2 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A telegraph that automatically prints transmitted messages in letters rather than Morse code or other symbols, typically resembling a typewriter in appearance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A telegram produced by this device.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An early input/output device for mainframe computers, resembling a typewriter.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To use a teletype.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From tele- (“far, distant, telegraph”) + type (“text, typewriter”), q.v. In the United States, chiefly understood as a genericization of the Morkrum or Teletype Corporation's branded teletype machines. Doublet of telotype.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُبْرِقَة كَاتِبَة (mubriqa kātiba) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Armenian: հեռատիպ (heṙatip) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Basque: teletipo — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Belarusian: тэлета́йп (teljetájp) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Bulgarian: телета́йп (teletájp) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Bulgarian: телепри́нтер (teleprínter) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Chinese Mandarin: 電傳打字機 /电传打字机 (diànchuán-dǎzìjī) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Chinese Mandarin: 電傳 /电传 (diànchuán) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Czech: dálnopis — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Danish: fjernskriver — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Dutch: teleprinter — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Esperanto: teletajpilo — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Estonian: teletaip — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Finnish: kaukokirjoitin — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • French: télétype — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • French: téléscripteur — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • French: téléimprimeur — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Georgian: ტელეტაიპი (ṭeleṭaiṗi) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • German: Fernschreiber — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Greek: τηλέτυπο (tilétypo) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Hebrew: טֶלֶפְּרִינְטֶר (teleprínter) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Hungarian: távgépiró — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Italian: telescrivente — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Japanese: テレタイプ (teretaipu) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Japanese: テレタイプライター (teretaipuraitā) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Korean: 텔레타이프 (telletaipeu) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Korean: 전신 타자기 (jeonsin tajagi) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Latvian: teletaips — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Lithuanian: teletaipas — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Macedonian: телепри́нтер (teleprínter) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Norwegian Bokmål: fjernskriver — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Persian: تله تایپ (tele tâyp) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Persian: تله پرینتر (tele perinter) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Polish: dalekopis — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Portuguese: teletipo — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Romanian: teleimprimator — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Russian: телета́йп (teletájp) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Russian: дальнопи́сец (dalʹnopísec) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Serbo-Croatian: телепрѝнтер — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Serbo-Croatian: teleprìnter — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Slovak: ďalekopis — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Slovene: teleprinter — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Spanish: teletipo — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Swedish: teleprinter — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Swedish: fjärrskrivmaskin — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Turkish: teleprinter — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Ukrainian: телета́йп (teletájp) — automatically translated electric telegraph
  • Uzbek: teletayp — automatically translated electric telegraph