telephone exchange
1
3.7
- noun
- /ˈtɛlɪˌfoʊn ɪkˈsʧeɪndʒ/
- Specialized
:
central telefónica
- During my visit, I learned how calls are routed through the telephone exchange.
- a central telephone exchange
- a local telephone exchange
Examples
-
New York was a leading city in the Second Industrial Revolution, and by the end of the nineteenth century had already introduced an electric power grid, telephone exchanges, modern hospitals (public health measures), and an urban public school system.
Academic text (2002) -
- No, I actually used to work at the telephone exchange.
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There are almost 10 million telephone exchange lines ... ... over 50 phone services.
-
And luckily, you have a friend who works at the telephone exchange.
-
The Vienna telephone exchange says there was a call from Paraguay.
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Now, Doris, would you please contact the Chicago area telephone exchange supervisors.
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Like a telephone exchange connecting two telephones, it is providing a connection between the server that hosts the video and the computer of MyVidster's visitor.
Blog text (2) -
In any case, when I was growing up, my telephone exchange was mid-Queens' Twining 7?, which my dad always used to jokingly change to 'Twinkle 7?, a species of joke that is now obsolete.
Blog text (32) -
The technician arrived at the telephone exchange to handle some maintenance work.
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Each telephone exchange connects numerous lines, allowing users to communicate effectively.
Synonyms
124
4.7
A main building that connects telephone calls in a town
14
6.0
A building where telephone lines connect to allow calls
3
6.8
A private phone system in an office that connects calls inside and outside the company
1
8.4
A telephone service from the phone company that gives a business its own internal phone network for calling between people
How Big
- Specialized
1
3.7
- Specialized
14
6.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from 'telephone' (voice communication device/lines) and 'exchange' (a central office that connects lines); together they denote the facility that connects telephone calls. This is a straightforward compositional noun phrase with clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase telephone exchange comes from old phone rooms where operators moved plugs on a large board to exchange connections between telephones. So the name means a place that 'connects' people by joining their calls.