• Today's Word

Semaphore

🔊 Listen to the word Semaphore

SEM-uh-for

Definition

(noun) a system of conveying information through visual signals, often using flags, lights, or mechanical arms, especially over long distances.

Example

Before modern radio communication, ships relied on semaphore to send urgent messages across open water.

Word Origin

Semaphore comes from the early 19th-century French word sémaphore, which itself is rooted in the Greek words sēma (meaning “sign”) and phoros (meaning “bearing” or “carrying”), literally translating to “sign-bearer.” The term was first used to describe mechanical signaling towers across France that transmitted messages visually from station to station long before electrical communication existed.

Fun Fact

Semaphore comes from the early 19th-century French word sémaphore, which itself is rooted in the Greek words sēma (meaning “sign”) and phoros (meaning “bearing” or “carrying”), literally translating to “sign-bearer.” The term was first used to describe mechanical signaling towers across France that transmitted messages visually from station to station long before electrical communication existed.