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Glite Dictionary
overseas telegram

overseas telegram

4.9
A short message sent quickly to someone in another country
  • noun
  • /ˈoʊvərˌsiːz ˈtɛlɪˌɡræm/
  • Archaic
translation icon : telegrama internacional
  • During the war, families often awaited news through an overseas telegram.

Examples

  • The company relied on overseas telegrams to communicate with their international branches.

  • He received an overseas telegram from his sister in Australia.

  • I received an overseas telegram from my friend in Australia.

  • Did you send an overseas telegram to your family?

  • He received an overseas telegram from his sister in Australia.

  • Did you send an overseas telegram to your family?

  • During the war, families often awaited news through an overseas telegram.

Synonyms

cable
vsoverseas telegram
  • Archaic
44 5.9

A message sent over a telegraph line to a distant place

is the specific service of sending a message to a foreign recipient
cablegram
vsoverseas telegram
  • Archaic
1 8.7

A message sent by telegraph across the sea to another country

is any overseas telegraph message not tied to a particular transmission method
letter telegram
vsoverseas telegram
  • Archaic
8.2

A cheaper written message sent abroad and delivered the next day

is the general overseas telegraph without reduced cost or delayed delivery

Surface Forms

overseas telegram singular
overseas telegrams plural

Morphology

overseas + telegram

The meaning 'a telegram sent to a recipient in a foreign country' is directly and compositionally derived from 'overseas' (in or to a foreign country) + 'telegram' (a message sent by telegraph). This straightforward adjectival modification is a common compounding pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Overseas telegram comes from a time when a telegram, a short, fast written message, had to travel overseas, across the sea or by cable, to reach someone in another country. So, it means 'a telegram sent to someone in another country'.