handset

American  

[hand-set, hand-set, -set] / ˈhændˌsɛt, ˈhændˈsɛt, -ˌsɛt /

noun

handsets plural

1. Also called French telephone.  a telephone having a mouthpiece and earpiece mounted at opposite ends of a handle.

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verb (used with object)

handset, handsetting

1. to set (type) by hand.

adjective

1. (of type) set by hand.

2. (of a publication) printed directly from type set by hand.

handset British  

/ ˈhændˌsɛt /

noun

1. a telephone mouthpiece and earpiece mounted so that they can be held simultaneously to mouth and ear

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• handsets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of handset

First recorded in 1915–20; hand + set

Example Sentences

Can a $25 Handset Start a Smartphone "Flood" in the Developing World?

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2014

Since 2009, Google and its partners in the Open Handset Alliance have codenamed each Android release after a type of treat, with major updates progressing a letter along the alphabet.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2013

From November 2007, when the Open Handset Alliance had just been announced, but there was no hardware.

From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2012

Handset makers including Samsung and Motorola Mobility already have LTE-capable tablets available, so in a way Apple is already late to the game.

From Chicago Tribune • Mar. 7, 2012

Handset makers and chip firms globally had a grim time through 2009 as the global downturn made consumers hold back on buying new gadgets.

From Reuters • Jan. 22, 2010