microphone (English)

Where does "microphone" come from?

The English noun 'microphone' is formed by combining the prefix 'micro-' with the suffix '-phone'[1]. The element 'micro-' derives from the Ancient Greek word 'mikrós' meaning 'small'[2], which has traditional roots in Proto-Indo-European alongside a competing Pre-Greek origin theory[4]. The element '-phone' traces back to the Ancient Greek word 'phōnḗ' meaning 'sound'[3], which stems from Proto-Indo-European via Proto-Hellenic[5]. Together, these roots create a device used to convert sound waves into a varying electric current.

Open questions

The traditional derivation of the Greek word for small leaves the sound /k/ unexplained, leading to a proposed Pre-Greek origin. [4]

Full etymology tree

microphone (English), 'A device (transducer) used to convert sound waves into a varying electric current; normally fed into an amplifier and either recorded or transmitted over radio.'
- compound micro- (English), 'Very small.'
  - derived μικρός (mikrós) (Ancient Greek), 'little, small'
    - derived *(s)meyg- (Proto-Indo-European)
- compound phone (English), 'A device for transmitting conversations and other sounds in real time across distances, now often a small portable unit also capable of running software etc.'
  - derived φωνή (phōnḗ) (Ancient Greek), 'sound'
    - inherited *pʰōnā́ (Proto-Hellenic)
      - inherited *bʰoh₂-néh₂ (Proto-Indo-European)
        derived *bʰeh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to shine, glow light'

Ancestors

micro (English)
phone (English)

Descendants and derived words

carbon microphone (English)
hot microphone (English)
human microphone (English)
lavalier microphone (English)
microphonics (English)
microphonograph (English)
minimicrophone (English)
multimicrophone (English)
nonmicrophone (English)
people's microphone (English)
ribbon microphone (English)
seismomicrophone (English)

Sources

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris