fax

(făks)
n. In both senses also called facsimile.

1. A fax machine.
2. A printed page or image transmitted or received by a fax machine.

tr.v., faxed, fax·ing, fax·es.
To transmit (printed matter or an image) by electronic means.

[Shortening and alteration of FACSIMILE.]

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is first recorded in 1948 as a shortened form of facsimile (process, etc.) and quickly established itself in the standard language as a noun and verb during the 1980s when fax machines came into widespread use. The word has been accepted much more readily than pix (= pictures) and sox (= socks), presumably because no comfortable alternative exists, facsimile transmission being too technical and awkward for ordinary use.

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For more information on fax, visit Britannica.com.

(FACSimile) Originally called "telecopying," it is the communication of a printed page between remote locations. Fax machines scan a paper form and transmit a coded image over the telephone system. The receiving machine prints a copy (a facsimile) of the original. A fax machine is made up of a scanner, printer and modem with fax signaling.

Group 1, 2, 3 and 4

Fax standards were developed starting in 1968 and are classified by Groups. Groups 1 and 2, used until the late 1980s, transmitted a page in six and three minutes respectively. Group 3 transmits at less than one minute per page and uses data compression at 9,600 bps. The Group 3 speed increase led to the extraordinary rise in usage in the late 1980s. Group 3 resolutions are 203x98 dpi in standard mode, 203x196 in fine mode and 203x392 in super fine mode.

Group 3 is the common standard, but Group 4 machines can transmit a page in just a few seconds and provide up to 400x400 resolution. Group 4 requires 56 to 64 Kbps bandwidth and needs ISDN, Switched 56 circuits or DSL lines. See fax/modem, Internet faxing and e-mail.

A Different Kind of Fax Machine

This earlier portable fax machine from Reflection Technology weighed eight ounces, worked with most cellphones and stored 25 fax pages. Its virtual display simulated a 12" monitor, and its "virtual keyboard" (lever and buttons on top) let you select menu options. (Image courtesy of Reflection Technology, Inc.)

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System for the electronic transmission of images over telephone lines from one fax machine to another. Fax is an abbreviated term for facsimile. Faxing is frequently used to send press proofs from the printer to the customer for approval. International publishers sometimes fax layouts to various printers throughout the world for local printing and distribution of newspapers and magazines, getting them to readers faster than if they were printed at one location.

Use of electronics to send printed materials. A picture of the material is coded by an electronic scanning device, sent over phone or electronic wire, and reproduced at its destination.

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IN BRIEF: n. - Duplicator that transmits the copy by wire or radio v. - Send something via a facsimile machine.

Tutor's tip: "Facts" (real and true things) can be sent quickly by "fax." (a machine that transmits written messages over telephone lines)

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For a list of words related to fax, see:

• Data Transmission - fax: facsimile

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See words rhyming with "fax."

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - fax, telefax
v. tr. - faxe, sende en telefax

idioms:

• fax machine    telefax
• fax modem    telefaxmodem

2.
n. pl. - fakta

Nederlands (Dutch)
fax, faxen

Français (French)
1.
n. - fax, télécopieur
v. tr. - faxer, télécopier

idioms:

• fax machine    fax, télécopieur
• fax modem    modem (modulateur démodulateur)

2.
n. pl. - faits (fam)

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Fax
v. - faxen

idioms:

• fax machine    Fax, Faxmaschine
• fax modem    Modem, Faxmodem

2.
n. pl. - Tatsachen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (τέλε)φαξ, (συσκευή για) τηλεομοιοτυπία
v. - στέλνω φαξ

idioms:

• fax machine    συσκευή φαξ/τηλεομοιοτυπίας
• fax modem    (Η/Υ) κάρτα φαξ-μόντεμ

Italiano (Italian)
trasmettere per fax, telefax

Português (Portuguese)
n. - fax (m)
v. - enviar por fax

Русский (Russian)
передавать по факсу, факс

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - fax, telefax
v. tr. - enviar/mandar por fax

idioms:

• fax machine    máquina de fax
• fax modem    fax módem

2.
n. pl. - hechos

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - fax
v. - faxa

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
传真机, 传真通信, 传真

idioms:

• fax machine    传真机
• fax modem    有传真机功能的调变解调器

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 傳真機, 傳真通信
v. tr. - 傳真

idioms:

• fax machine    傳真機
• fax modem    有傳真機功能的調變解調器

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 팩시밀리
v. tr. - 전소하다

2.
n. pl. - 사실, 정보

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 電送写真, ファックス

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رساله بالفاكس (فعل) يرسل رساله بالفاكس‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פקס, מסר המועבר באמצעות פקסימיליה‬
v. tr. - ‮שלח פקס, פיקסס‬
n. pl. - ‮עובדות‬

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