cable
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cable¹
- /ˈkeɪ.bəl/
Rhymes with -eɪbəl
Where it comes from
Recorded since c.1205 as Middle English cable, from Old Northern French cable, from Late Latin capulum (“lasso, rope, halter”), from Latin capiō (“to take, seize”). Use of the term "cable" to refer to the USD/GBP exchange rate originated in the mid-19th century, when the exchange rate began to be transmitted across the Atlantic by a submarine communications cable.
noun cables
- A strong, large-diameter wire or rope, or something resembling such a rope.
- An assembly of two or more cable-laid ropes.
- An assembly of two or more wires, used for electrical power or data circuits; one or more and/or the whole may be insulated.
- A strong rope or chain used to moor or anchor a ship. “And now the time of tide has come; the ship casts off her cables; and from the deserted wharf the uncheered ship for Tarshish, all careening, glides to sea.
- A system for transmitting television or Internet services over a network of coaxial or fibreoptic cables. I tried to watch the movie last night but my cable was out.
- Ellipsis of cable television, broadcast over the above network, not by antenna.
-
A telegram, notably when sent by (submarine) telegraph cable.
Similar: cablegram
-
A unit of length equal to one tenth of a nautical mile.
Similar: cable length
- 100 fathoms, 600 imperial feet, approximately 185 m.
- The currency pair British Pound against United States Dollar.
- A moulding, shaft of a column, or any other member of convex, rounded section, made to resemble the spiral twist of a rope.
- A textural pattern achieved by passing groups of stitches over one another.
verb cables · cabling · cabled
- To provide (something) with cable(s).
- To fasten (something) (as if) with cable(s).
- To wrap (wires) to form a cable.
- To send (a telegram, news, etc.) by cable. Details of a bottle fight in El Morocco were cabled all over the world.
- To communicate by cable.
- To ornament (something) with cabling.
- To create cable stitches. You've been cabling, twisting, popcorning and bobbling. See, we told you that they weren't so hard.
Cable²
proper noun Cables
- A surname from Anglo-Norman.
- A census-designated place in Richland Grove Township, Mercer County, Illinois.
- An unincorporated community in Haven Township, Sherburne County, Minnesota.
- An unincorporated community in Wayne Township, Champaign County, Ohio.
- A town and census-designated place therein, in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: wire, cable length, transmission line, cablegram, telegraph, cable television, line, cable system, electrical cable, overseas telegram, winch, duct, tether, towline, rope, harness
Translations
Every language
noun assembly of wires for electricity
| Español | cable |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 케이블 keibeul, 전선 jeonseon, 전람 jeollam |
| 日本語 | ケーブル kēburu, 電線 densen, 電纜 denran |
| 中文 | 電纜 /电缆 diànlǎn, 電線 /电线 diànxiàn |
| हिन्दी | केबल kebal |
| Português | cabo, fio |
| Français | câble, fil électrique |
| Deutsch | Kabel, Leitung |
| Italiano | cavo, cavo elettrico |
| Ελληνικά | καλώδιο kalódio |
| Română | cablu, conductor |
| Русский | ка́бель kábelʹ, про́вод próvod |
| Tiếng Việt | cáp |
| العربية | كَابْل kābl |
| עברית | כֶּבֶל kevél |
noun communications system with coaxial or fiber optic
| Español | cable |
|---|---|
| Português | cabo, linha |
| Deutsch | Kabel, Leitung |
| Română | cablu, cablu optic |
| Русский | ка́бель kábelʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | cáp |
| עברית | כְּבָלִים kvalím |
noun large wire, rope
| Español | cable |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 纜繩 /缆绳 lǎnshéng, 纜索 /缆索 lǎnsuǒ |
| Português | cabo |
| Français | câble |
| Deutsch | Seil, Tau |
| Italiano | cavo |
| Română | cablu, frânghie |
| Русский | трос tros, кана́т kanát |
| Tiếng Việt | dây |
| עברית | כֶּבֶל kével, כָּבֶּל kábel |
noun heavy rope or chain as used for mooring
| Español | cuerda |
|---|---|
| Português | boça |
| Deutsch | Tau, Kette |
| Ελληνικά | παλαμάρι palamári |
| Русский | кана́т kanát, шварто́в švartóv, ка́бельтов kábelʹtov, трос tros |
| עברית | עֲבוֹת avot |
noun TV broadcast over cable network
| Español | televisión por cable |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 케이블 keibeul |
| Română | televiziune prin cablu |
| Tiếng Việt | cáp, truyền hình cáp |
noun telegram — see also telegram
| Español | cablegrama, telegrama |
|---|---|
| Português | telegrama |
| Français | câble |
| Deutsch | Telegramm |
| Română | telegramă, telegrame |
| Русский | телегра́мма telegrámma |
noun nautical unit of length
| Español | cable |
|---|---|
| Русский | ка́бельтов kábelʹtov |
| עברית | כֶּבֶל kevel |
noun texture pattern in knitting
| Français | torsade |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Zopfmuster |
| Italiano | treccia |
| Русский | ка́бель kábelʹ |
verb send a telegram by cable(s)
| Deutsch | kabeln |
|---|
Talk about this word "cable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cable. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cable. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cable "cable." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cable.Cite this
@misc{cable_2026,
title = {cable},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cable},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
