landline

See also: land line

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From land +‎ line.

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlændˌlaɪn/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

landline (plural landlines)

  1. A fixed telephone communications cable; originally, one run over land, as opposed to a submarine cable.
    • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 134:
      The land line was eight months later in its completion than was anticipated, but the fleet of cable ships, sent out by the British Australian Telegraph Company, arrived in Port Darwin at the date appointed by them: November 6th, 1871.
  2. (by extension) A telephone connected by such a fixed wire that allows multiple phones to operate simultaneously on the same phone number, specifically not wireless/mobile.
  3. (attributively) That which is connected by such a fixed wire (telephone, internet etc.).

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See also