Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
telegraphist

telegraphist

8.9
A person who sends and receives messages by telegraph
  • noun
  • /ˌtɛlɪˈɡræfɪst/
  • Archaic
translation icon : telégrafo
  • As a telegraphist, she quickly transmitted important messages across long distances.

Examples

  • Potts had been a telegraphist before the war, in Wollongong... that's in New South Wales, but as soon as the balloon went up, he enlisted with the Signal Engineers, and as things fell out, his troop was attached to the Light Horse, and it was with the Light Horse that he remained until he was wounded at Gallipoli.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Max Klausen was the telegraphist (and only the telegraphist).

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Max Klausen was the telegraphist (and only the telegraphist).

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The telegraphist skillfully sent and received coded messages during the emergency.

  • In the early 20th century, many telegraphists played a crucial role in communication for businesses.

Synonyms

telegraph operator
vstelegraphist
  • Archaic
2 7.1

A person who sends and receives long-distance messages along wires

is the same role but named with alternative wording
telegrapher
vstelegraphist
  • Archaic
1 9.2

A person who sends and receives messages by coded signals over wires

is the same professional role expressed in a different form
wirer
vstelegraphist
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who sends messages by telegram

is the fuller job including both sending and receiving messages
cabler
vstelegraphist
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who sends messages by cable between distant places

focuses on cable transmission rather than general telegraph duties
teletypist
vstelegraphist
  • Archaic
9.8

A person who uses a teletype machine to type and send written messages

uses the telegraph system rather than a teletype device

Surface Forms

telegraphist singular
telegraphists plural

Morphology

telegraphist = telegraph (transparent) = telegraph + ist

The agentive suffix '-ist' straightforwardly forms 'one who works with or operates a telegraph', so the relation is clear.

Etymology

Telegraphist breaks into tele- meaning 'far', -graph meaning 'write', and -ist meaning 'a person who', parts you can also see in telephone and photograph. So a telegraphist is literally 'a person who writes at a distance', which explains why it means someone who sends and receives telegraph messages.