English
Minitel
Minitel comes from French Minitel, from téléphonique ‘Interactive medium for digitized information…’, and ultimately from téléphone.
- Frenchc. 1600–presenttéléphone
- French, derivedc. 1600–presenttéléphonique‘Interactive medium for digitized information by telephone’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentMinitel
- Englishearliest quotation 1995same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history not traced here.
Lineage
- Frenchc. 1600–presenttéléphone
- French, derivedc. 1600–presenttéléphonique‘Interactive medium for digitized information by telephone’
- French, derivedc. 1600–presentMinitel
- Englishearliest quotation 1995same form
Earliest quotation: 1995, Richard Barbrook, The Californian Ideology: “The lesson of MINITEL is that hypermedia within Europe…”
Every English word from French téléphone
Today it means
name A French videotex service utilising the telephone network, popular before and alongside the World Wide Web.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / French téléphone / Minitel