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photophone

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photophone¹

Where it comes from

From photo- (“light”) + -phone (“a device that makes a sound”).

noun photophones

  1. historical A device that transmitted sound on a beam of light. Arriving several years before the promulgation of effective electrical lighting, the photophone was completely dependent on clear skies to provide bright light to the reflector.

photophone²

Where it comes from

From photo- (“photography”) + phone (“telephone”).

noun photophones

  1. dated A stills-only camera phone. Used to distinguish from video-capable camera cell phones and camera-less cell phones.
  2. A combination highly-capable digital camera and smartphone.

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MLA

"photophone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/photophone. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

APA

photophone. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/photophone

Chicago

"photophone." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/photophone.

BibTeX
@misc{photophone_2026,
  title = {photophone},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/photophone},
  urldate = {2026-11-07}
}