What is the origin of the word telegraph?

Answer 1

The land telegraph was invented by Samuel F. B. Morse, and first demonstrated in the 1830s.

Morse built an apparatus where a button could be pushed at one place, and cause a clacker

to make a 'clack' at the other end of a wire many miles long.

It's hard to get too excited about that nowadays, but you have to understand that

this was the first time in all of human history when a message could be instantly

sent farther than one person could see or hear another person.

In order to send information through Morse's apparatus, he invented a code of clacks

for each letter of the alphabet, and he modestly named it "Morse's Code". It was

modified later for use over radio or telephone. Instead of clacks, the new "International

Morse Code" used a pattern of beeps for each letter of the alphabet.

At the first public demonstration ... between Washington and Baltimore, an incredible

distance of almost 30 miles ... the message he sent from one city to the other was

"What hath god wrought".

Answer 2

The origin of telegraph is early 18th century, from French telegraphe, from tele 'at a distance' + graphe.