DefinioSaved words

Words with the root tele

tele means “far, distant”, from Greektele.

15 examples of the root “tele”

  1. telephonephonesound from far away
  2. televisionvisionseeing images from far away
  3. telescopescopeinstrument for viewing far away
  4. telegramgrammessage sent from far away
  5. telegraphgraphwrite or send from far away
  6. telepathypathyfeeling shared across distance
  7. telecastcastbroadcast transmitted from far away
  8. teleportportcarry oneself across great distance
  9. telemetrymetrymeasurement transmitted from far away
  10. telekinesiskinesismoving objects from a distance
  11. teleconferenceconferencemeeting held across great distance
  12. telephotophotophotograph taken from far away
  13. teleprompterprompterdevice prompting speaker from distance
  14. telemedicinemedicinehealthcare delivered across great distance
  15. telemetricmetricrelating to distant measurement transmission

How tele works

The root 'tele-' functions as a prefix, typically turning nouns or verbs into new nouns describing communication or action across distance without spelling change. It remains stable in form and does not assimilate like certain Latin prefixes do.

Watch out: The word 'tell' may superficially suggest 'tele-' but comes from Old English 'tellan' (to count, recount) and has no relation to the Greek root meaning far.

To see roots combine with other parts, try the word dissector and root builder, or test yourself in the vocabulary quiz.

Other Greek and Latin roots

Questions people ask

What does the root “tele” mean?

tele means “far, distant”. It comes from Greek (tele). The root 'tele-' functions as a prefix, typically turning nouns or verbs into new nouns describing communication or action across distance without spelling change. It remains stable in form and does not assimilate like certain Latin prefixes do.

What are some examples of words with the root “tele”?

telephone, television, telescope, telegram, telegraph, telepathy, telecast, teleport. The full list of 15 examples, with what each one literally means, is above.

Which words look like they have the root “tele” but don’t?

The word 'tell' may superficially suggest 'tele-' but comes from Old English 'tellan' (to count, recount) and has no relation to the Greek root meaning far.

What is a root word?

A root is the core of a word that carries its main meaning. Many English roots come from Latin or Greek and cannot stand alone, like port (“carry”) in transport and portable.