World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesDial-tone
/ˈdaɪ.əlˌtoʊn/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
An audible sound produced by a telephone system indicating that the equipment is operational and ready to receive dialed numbers.
"She picked up the landline phone, but instead of hearing a dial-tone, there was only dead silence." - 2
A figurative state of readiness or availability.
"His constant responsiveness kept the office communications humming like a steady dial-tone."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from the combination of 'dial' (referring to the circular mechanism of early telephones used to select numbers, from Latin 'rotulus' meaning wheel) and 'tone' (from Greek 'tonos' meaning stretching or pitch). The term emerged in the early 20th century with the introduction of automated telephone switching systems to indicate to the user that the line was ready for call placement.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Dial-tone"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Dial-tone" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
tonalité
Transliteration: to.na.li.te
"Il a décroché le téléphone mais il n'y avait aucune tonalité."
Freizeichen
Transliteration: ˈfʁaɪˌtsaɪçn̩
"Sie nahm den Hörer ab, aber es war kein Freizeichen zu hören."
tono di libera
Transliteration: tono di li.be.ra
"Ho sollevato la cornetta ma non c'era il tono di libera."
tono de marcación
Transliteration: to.no de maɾ.kaˈθjon
"Levantó el auricular y escuchó el tono de marcación."
sinal de linha
Transliteration: siˈnaw dʒi ˈliɲɐ
"Ele tirou o telefone do gancho e ouviu o sinal de linha."
डायलटोन
Transliteration: dayalton
Script: हिंदी देवनागरी
"फोन उठाते ही उसे कोई डायलटोन सुनाई नहीं दी।"
拨号音
Transliteration: bó hào yīn
Script: 中文汉字
"拿起电话时，里面传来了拨号音。"
발신음
Transliteration: bal-sin-eum
Script: 한국어 한글
"수화기를 들었지만 발신음이 들리지 않았습니다."
ダイヤル音
Transliteration: daiyaru-on
Script: 日本語
"受話器を取ったが、ダイヤル音が聞こえなかった。"
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