Standard Lemma guide

transmission

noun · 13 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.

  • trănsmĭ'shən
  • trănzmĭ'shən
  • /tɹænsˈmɪʃən/
  • /tɹænzˈmɪʃən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AE0 N S M IH1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: T R AE0 N Z M IH1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of transmitting, e.g. data (signals) or electric power.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The fact of being transmitted.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something that is transmitted, such as a message, picture, or a disease; the sending of such a thing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The passage of a nerve impulse across synapses.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A device, usually an assembly of gears (gearbox) plus a clutch or torque converter, through which power is sent from the engine to the driveshaft in an automobile (motor car or motor truck).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Qualifier: trucking; heavy equipment; trucking; heavy equipment

Topics: automotive, transport, vehicles

Examples

  • Any vehicle with an internal combustion engine needs a transmission that can alter the gear ratio (engine RPM to wheel RPM) as the vehicle's speed changes.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gearbox[Appendix:Glossary, tranny

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The right possessed by an heir or legatee of transmitting to his successor(s) any inheritance, legacy, right, or privilege, to which he is entitled, even if he should die without enjoying or exercising it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

The passing of a pathogen or communicable disease from an infected host individual or group to a conspecific individual or group.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

The passing down of a text through time.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences, textual-criticism

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

the act of sending a message; causing a message to be transmitted

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: transmittal, transmitting

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sending

Narrower terms: forwarding, mailing, posting, telephotography

10

noun

Meaning 10

the gears that transmit power from an automobile engine via the driveshaft to the live axle

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: transmission system

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gear, gear mechanism

Narrower terms: automatic transmission, automatic drive, four-wheel drive, 4WD, hydraulic transmission, hydraulic transmission system, standard transmission, stick shift

11

noun

Meaning 11

communication by means of transmitted signals

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: communication, communicating

Narrower terms: conveyance, imparting, impartation, dissemination, airing, public exposure, spreading, channel, transmission channel, channels, medium, mass medium, multimedia, multimedia system, electronic communication, fiber optics, fiberoptics, fibre optics, fibreoptics, modulation, uplink, interrogation

12

noun

Meaning 12

an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: infection, contagion

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: incident

13

noun

Meaning 13

the fraction of radiant energy that passes through a substance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: transmittance

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coefficient

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin transmissionem (accusative of transmissio), from transmittere.

Across languages

Translations

98 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: преда́ване (predávane) — act of transmitting
  • Catalan: transmissió — act of transmitting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 傳輸 /传输 (chuánshū) — act of transmitting
  • Czech: přenos — act of transmitting
  • Czech: vysílání — act of transmitting
  • Esperanto: transdono — act of transmitting
  • Estonian: ülekanne — act of transmitting
  • Finnish: lähetys — act of transmitting
  • Finnish: lähettäminen — act of transmitting
  • Finnish: välittäminen — act of transmitting
  • Finnish: siirto — act of transmitting
  • Finnish: tartuttaminen — act of transmitting
  • French: transmission — act of transmitting
  • Galician: transmisión — act of transmitting
  • Georgian: გადაცემა (gadacema) — act of transmitting
  • Georgian: გაგზავნა (gagzavna) — act of transmitting
  • German: Übertragung — act of transmitting
  • Greek: μετάδοση (metádosi) — act of transmitting
  • Ancient Greek: παράδοσις (parádosis) — act of transmitting
  • Hindi: पारेषण (pāreṣaṇ) — act of transmitting
  • Japanese: 転送 (tensō) — act of transmitting
  • Japanese: 伝送 (densō) — act of transmitting
  • Luxembourgish: Iwwerdroung — act of transmitting
  • Persian: تراگسیل (tarāgosil) — act of transmitting
  • Portuguese: transmissão — act of transmitting
  • Romanian: transmitere — act of transmitting
  • Romanian: transmisie — act of transmitting
  • Russian: переда́ча (peredáča) — act of transmitting
  • Russian: перено́с (perenós) — act of transmitting
  • Russian: пересы́лка (peresýlka) — act of transmitting
  • Serbo-Croatian: пренос (prenos) — act of transmitting
  • Serbo-Croatian: трансмисија (transmisija) — act of transmitting
  • Swedish: överföring — act of transmitting
  • Swedish: transmission — act of transmitting
  • Ottoman Turkish: اخبار (ihbar) — act of transmitting
  • Catalan: transmissió — fact of being transmitted
  • Finnish: välittyminen — fact of being transmitted
  • Finnish: siirtyminen — fact of being transmitted
  • Finnish: tarttuminen — fact of being transmitted
  • Greek: μετάδοση (metádosi) — fact of being transmitted
  • Greek: διάδοση (diádosi) — fact of being transmitted
  • Persian: تراگسیل (tarāgosil) — fact of being transmitted
  • Portuguese: transmissão — fact of being transmitted
  • Catalan: transmissió — something transmitted
  • Czech: vysílání — something transmitted
  • Finnish: lähetys — something transmitted
  • Finnish: tartunta — something transmitted
  • French: transmission — something transmitted
  • Greek: μετάδοση (metádosi) — something transmitted
  • Persian: تراگسیل (tarāgosil) — something transmitted
  • Portuguese: transmissão — something transmitted
  • Swedish: överföring — something transmitted
  • Swedish: transmission — something transmitted
  • Catalan: transmissió — passage of a nerve impulse
  • Finnish: välittyminen — passage of a nerve impulse
  • Greek: μεταβίβαση (metavívasi) — passage of a nerve impulse
  • Persian: تراگسیل (tarāgosil) — passage of a nerve impulse
  • Portuguese: transmissão — passage of a nerve impulse
  • Azerbaijani: ötürmə — assembly of gears
  • Catalan: transmissió — assembly of gears
  • Chinese Mandarin: 變速器 /变速器 (biànsùqì) — assembly of gears
  • Czech: převodovka — assembly of gears
  • Finnish: vaihteisto — assembly of gears
  • Finnish: voimansiirto — assembly of gears
  • French: boite de vitesses — assembly of gears
  • Galician: transmisión — assembly of gears
  • Georgian: კოლოფი (ḳolopi) — assembly of gears
  • Georgian: ტრანსმისია (ṭransmisia) — assembly of gears
  • German: Getriebe — assembly of gears
  • Greek: κιβώτιο ταχυτήτων (kivótio tachytíton) — assembly of gears
  • Greek: ταχύτητες (tachýtites) — assembly of gears
  • Japanese: トランスミッション (toransumisshon) — assembly of gears
  • Japanese: 変速機 (hensokuki) — assembly of gears
  • Japanese: 変速装置 (hensoku-sōchi) — assembly of gears
  • Portuguese: caixa de câmbio — assembly of gears
  • Romanian: transmisie — assembly of gears
  • Romanian: angrenaj — assembly of gears
  • Russian: трансми́ссия (transmíssija) — assembly of gears
  • Russian: коро́бка переключе́ния переда́ч (koróbka pereključénija peredáč) — assembly of gears
  • Russian: коро́бка переда́ч (koróbka peredáč) — assembly of gears
  • Serbo-Croatian: мењач — assembly of gears
  • Serbo-Croatian: мјењач — assembly of gears
  • Serbo-Croatian: menjač — assembly of gears
  • Serbo-Croatian: mjenjač — assembly of gears
  • Spanish: caja de cambios — assembly of gears
  • Swedish: växellåda — assembly of gears
  • Bulgarian: предаване (predavane) — passing of a communicable disease
  • Catalan: transmissió — passing of a communicable disease
  • Dutch: overdracht — passing of a communicable disease
  • Dutch: transmissie — passing of a communicable disease
  • French: transmission — passing of a communicable disease
  • Italian: trasmissione — passing of a communicable disease
  • Persian: سرایت (serāyat) — passing of a communicable disease
  • Persian: واگیرداری (vāgirdāri) — passing of a communicable disease
  • Persian: تراگسیل (tarāgosil) — passing of a communicable disease
  • Portuguese: transmissão — passing of a communicable disease
  • Spanish: transmisión — passing of a communicable disease
  • Welsh: trosglwyddiad — passing of a communicable disease
Real reading context

transmission in complete knowledge articles