cable

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a telegram sent abroad
  2. noun a conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signals or electric power
  3. noun a very strong thick rope made of twisted hemp or steel wire

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

cablegram, overseas telegram

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