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telex machine

telex machine

1 9.6
A machine like a typewriter that sends typed messages over wires
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛlɛks məˈʃin/
  • Archaic
translation icon : máquina de telex
  • The artist made his aims clear in a shorter message, placed next to the telex machine: "I want to point out that the content of the three messages—especially that which is explicitly ideological or social—possesses a material reality in the consciousness of the receivers." 33

Examples

  • In the 1980s, many businesses relied on a telex machine to communicate important information instantly.

  • Being a casual fan of words, I always spend my Novembers waiting by the telex machine for the annual five-bell alarm that signals the printout of the Oxford Dictionaries USA Word of the Year.

    Blog text (33)
  • The telex machine allowed newspapers to receive breaking news quickly from around the world.

  • The telex machine made it possible for remote offices to send and receive documents without delay.

Synonyms

telex
vstelex machine
  • Archaic
4 9.3

A machine that types and sends written messages to distant places

is tied to a specific messaging network rather than generic device use
teletype machine
vstelex machine
  • Archaic
1 8.8

A machine that types and prints messages sent over telegraph lines

emphasizes its role within a named communication network rather than any printer
teleprinter
vstelex machine
  • Archaic
1 8.8

A machine like a typewriter that sends and prints messages over wires

is described more as a network-linked communication device than only a mechanical printer
teletypewriter
vstelex machine
  • Archaic
8.8

A machine like a typewriter that prints messages sent over wires

is presented as part of a particular messaging system rather than general transmission hardware

How Fast

messaging
  • Texting
44 2.6
email
  • Texting
220 1.0
telex machine
  • Archaic
1 9.6
fax
123 2.8
letter
1.0

Surface Forms

telex machine singular

Morphology

telex + machine

The phrase is a straightforward noun–noun composition: 'telex' (a device/service for sending typed telegraph messages) combined with 'machine' yields 'a machine used for telex messaging.' This follows regular compounding patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Telex machine comes from old systems where a typewriter was linked by wires to another typewriter far away. When you typed, the letters travelled down the wires and printed at the other end, so a telex machine came to mean 'a device to send and receive typed messages' across long distances.