English

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Etymology

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From tele- +‎ autograph.

Noun

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telautograph (plural telautographs)

  1. (historical) An analogue precursor to the fax machine, transmitting electrical impulses recorded by potentiometers to servomechanisms attached to a pen at the receiving station, thus reproducing a drawing or signature made by the sender.
    • 1893 April 6, “The Telautograph”, in The Iron Age[1], volume 51:
      On Tuesday, March 21, was made the first public test of the telautograph, a long distance writing machine, the invention of Professor Elisha Gray of Chicago, which practically solves the problem of autographic communication over miles of wire.
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Further reading

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