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Glite Dictionary
telephone extension

telephone extension

1 3.0
An extra phone connected to the same line for use in another room
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛlɪˌfoʊn ɪkˈstɛnʃən/
translation icon : extensión telefónica
  • The hotel provided a telephone extension in each room for guest convenience.

Examples

  • His room, our old one, also had new furniture and a telephone extension on the desk.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • So my telephone extension is 180.

    The Lobster (2015)

  • You can reach me at my telephone extension 204 in the office.

  • She answered a call on the telephone extension 317 while working from home.

Synonyms

extension
vstelephone extension
  • Jargon
78 4.0

A phone or number connected to the main office line

is limited to an added device on an existing line for making calls
extension phone
vstelephone extension
1 3.0

An extra phone on the same line to use in another room

has identical meaning but uses a different word order
telephone set
vstelephone extension
1.5

A device for making and receiving phone calls

refers specifically to an extra device sharing an existing line

Surface Forms

telephone extension singular
telephone extensions plural

Morphology

telephone + extension

The meaning 'an additional telephone set or its assigned number' is directly derivable from combining 'telephone' (phone device) with 'extension' (an add-on or additional number). This compound follows a straightforward compositional pattern found in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The noun telephone extension comes from the idea of adding an extension to a telephone: imagine attaching another handset or a longer cord so the phone reaches into another room. Because it is just an 'extra phone' on the 'same line', it means an additional phone you can use to make or receive calls from a different place.