The term "cable gram" refers to a message sent via cable to a recipient in another location. The spelling of this term is based on the sound of each letter. In IPA phonetic transcription, "cable" is pronounced as /'keɪ.bəl/ and "gram" as /'ɡræm/. The "c" sound at the beginning of "cable" is pronounced like a "k," while the "a" sound is a short "ay" sound. The "g" in "gram" is pronounced like a hard "g" sound, and the "a" sound is a short "a" sound.
A "cablegram" is a term used to describe a telegram that is sent via a submarine or transoceanic cable. It refers to a message or communication transmitted over long distances through an electrical cable laid along the ocean floor.
In the earlier days of telecommunication, before the advent of modern means of communication, telegrams were the most popular way to send urgent messages over long distances. However, telegraph cables were often limited to a specific geographic area, and there was a need to transmit messages across continents and overseas.
The development of submarine cables revolutionized long-distance communication, allowing messages to be sent across vast oceans and connecting various parts of the world. These cables were made of copper or fiber-optic materials and laid along the seabed, connecting regions and continents.
A "cablegram" could be sent by relaying the message through telegraph offices at the sending and receiving ends of the cable. Operators would encode the message into Morse code, and it would be transmitted through the cable to the recipient's destination. The cablegram system drastically reduced the time required for international communication, as messages no longer had to be routed overland through multiple telegraph offices.
Although cablegrams have largely been replaced by modern communication methods, such as email and instant messaging, the term "cablegram" still holds historical significance and is used to reference the early era of long-distance telegrams transmitted through submarine cables.
The word "cable gram" is a combination of two terms: "cable" and "gram".
1. Cable: This term originated from the telegraph industry, specifically referring to a message sent by telegraphy. The word "cable" itself comes from the Latin word "cabo", meaning "to connect" or "to join". It was first used in the 19th century when undersea telegraph cables were laid across oceans to connect different continents. As telegraph communication expanded, the term "cable" became associated with long-distance messages sent through cables.
2. Gram: "Gram" is short for "telegram", which is a message transmitted over a telegraph system. "Telegram" is derived from two Greek words: "tele", meaning "distant" or "far off", and "gramma", meaning "letter" or "message".