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Glite Dictionary
telephonist

telephonist

6.8
A person who connects phone calls and directs callers to the right person
  • noun
  • /tɛlɪˈfoʊnɪst/
  • Archaic
translation icon : telefonista
  • As a telephonist, her responsibilities included answering calls and transferring them to the right extensions.

Examples

  • He was a tea boy, a telephonist, and a security guard.

    Academic text (2009)

  • A telephonist at the GPO.

    An Awfully Big Adventure (1995)

  • The telephonist is dead.

    Dawn of the Dead (1978)

  • The telephonist is dead.

    Dawn of the Dead (1978)

  • This is for the number cruncher, the plumber, the telephonist, the so-called funny-man, and this... is for the girl.

    Wonka (2023)

  • The telephonist quickly connected the caller to the correct department for assistance.

  • The telephonist greeted every caller warmly, ensuring they felt welcomed and helped.

Synonyms

telephone operator
vstelephonist
2 2.2

A person who connects phone calls to the right person or service

focuses more on large organizations or formal exchange settings
switchboard operator
vstelephonist
  • Archaic
1 5.8

A person who answers phones and connects callers to others

works more broadly to assist callers reaching the correct department or person

How Experienced

chief
∞ 1.9
telephonist
  • Archaic
6.8

Surface Forms

telephonist singular
telephonists plural

Morphology

telephonist = telephone (transparent) = telephone + ist

Agentive suffix '-ist' added to 'telephone' yields a person associated with telephones/telephone work, a directly inferable meaning.

Etymology

Telephonist begins with tele- meaning 'far' and phone meaning 'voice', as in telephone or phone. The ending -ist means 'person who does', so a telephonist is a person who connects 'far voices' by helping callers reach the right person on the phone.