telegram

[tel-i-gram]

noun

1. a message or communication sent by telegraph; a telegraphic dispatch.

verb (used with or without object)

telegrammed, telegramming 

1. to telegraph.

telegram

/ ˈtɛlɪˌɡræm, ˌtɛlɪɡrəˈmætɪk /

noun

1. a communication transmitted by telegraph See also cable Telemessage

Other Word Forms

• telegrammic adjective
• telegrammatic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of telegram¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; tele- ¹ + -gram ¹

Example Sentences

There had been no letters, no telegrams, and not a single picture postcard.

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After picking up the note, the messenger cycled around town, picking up other telegrams, before returning to the office.

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"The telegram boy said, 'I'm sorry to tell you, but this is bad news'," he says.

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A telegram from King George VI was read aloud:

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A telegram in the same files shows a doctor from Cornwall, who was treating a 10-year-old child in 1944, pleading with the authorities for the medicine: "No hope without penicillin".

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Related Words

• summons 
• telegraph