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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Cable Definition, Usage & Key Differences (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：electrical wire (cable)

cable 🔊

/ˈkeɪbəl/

n./v.

A thick wire or group of wires covered in plastic or rubber, used to carry electricity or electronic signals.

Cable definition illustrated with colored power, network, and USB cables on a desk.

electrical wire 🔊

➕

/ɪˈlɛktrɪkəl ˈwaɪər/

n./v.

A thick wire insulated with plastic or rubber, used to transmit electricity or electronic signals.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'capulum' meaning rope, via Old French 'cable'.

💡 Mnemonic

CABLE: Connects A Bundle Like Electricity.

📖 Example

I need to untangle this mess of cables behind my computer desk before I can plug in my new monitor. 🔊 I must sort out the tangled cables behind my desk to connect my new monitor.

🔗 Collocations

power cable – a cable that supplies electrical power

cable television – television service delivered via coaxial cables

cable management – the organization of cables to reduce clutter

🔄 Synonyms

wire (n.) – a thin, flexible strand of metal used for conducting electricity

cord (n.) – a flexible cable or rope, often insulated

line (n.) – a length of cord or wire for transmission

🚫 Antonyms

wireless (adj.) – operating without the use of wires

🌱 Derivatives

cable-ready (adj.) – capable of receiving cable television signals

cable-knit (adj.) – having a ribbed texture resembling twisted cables

📖 Cultural Story

Originally a strong ship's rope, 'cable' evolved in the 19th century with telegraph cables, revolutionizing global communication.

Meaning 2：send by telegraph (cable)

cable 🔊

/ˈkeɪbəl/

n./v.

To send a message by telegraph, especially using an underwater cable; or the message itself.

Historical telegraph cable machine sending a message with Morse code on paper tape.

send by telegraph 🔊

➕

/sɛnd baɪ ˈtɛlɪɡræf/

n./v.

To transmit a message via telegraph, especially using underwater cables; or the message itself.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Before the internet, urgent news from overseas was often cabled to the newspaper office, arriving as a short, typed message on paper tape. 🔊 In pre-internet times, urgent international news was telegraphed to newspaper offices as brief messages on paper tape.

🔗 Collocations

cable news – news television channels distributed via cable

cable gram – a telegram sent by submarine cable

undersea cable – a cable laid on the sea bed for telecommunications

🔄 Synonyms

telegraph (v./n.) – to send a message by telegraph; or the message itself

wire (v./n.) – to send a telegram; or a telegram

dispatch (v./n.) – to send off to a destination; or a message sent

🚫 Antonyms

email (n./v.) – electronic mail sent via the internet

🌱 Derivatives

cablegram (n.) – a telegram sent by submarine cable