Origin and history of phone

1835, "system for conveying words to a distant point by means of musical notes," from French téléphone (c. 1830), from télé- "far" (see tele-) + phōnē "sound, voice" (from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say").

The system was devised in 1828 by French composer Jean-François Sudré (1787-1862); each tone played over several octaves represented a letter of the alphabet. It never proved practical. The word also was used in early 19c. in reference to other mechanisms, including "instrument similar to a foghorn for signaling from ship to ship" (1844).

The electrical communication apparatus was first described in modern form by Philip Reis (1861); it was developed by Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) and so called by him from 1876.

Telephone-book, listing local telephone subscribers and their numbers, is attested by 1880, telephone-number by 1882. Telephone-wire is from 1877. Telephone-table is by 1920.

Telephone-booth, in reference to call boxes with direct lines to police stations in big cities, is by 1883; telephone-box in the same sense is from 1880. By 1890 both were used of installations in businesses, banks, etc., for making private calls. Telephone-kiosk, generally more common in U.K., is attested by 1895.

The telephone people are putting a long-distance telephone booth into the Masonic House office. These booths or cabinets are handsomely finished in hard wood and are provided with double windows and doors. A person wishing to make use of the telephone shuts himself into the booth and then may call as loudly as he pleases and no one outside can overhear the conversation. These booths are likely to come into quite general use. [The Gazette and Courier, Greenfield, Mass., Nov. 28, 1891]

also pay-phone, "telephone requiring a coin deposit to operate," 1906, from pay (v.) + phone (n.).