English word origin

Etymology of telly

Shortened form of tele(vision) + -y.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Television. · A television set. · Telegraph. · Telephone.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortened form of tele(vision) + -y.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Word-formation componenttelevisionen
Word-formation component-yen

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "television",
        "3": "-y",
        "alt1": "tele(vision)",
        "id2": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "tele(vision) + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tele(vision)",
      "television#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Television.",
        "A television set.",
        "Telegraph.",
        "Telephone."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Commonwealth",
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "colloquial",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "136a03243685a46048f0add3d0d8381b377fe53222575c5dd0001b3d9e13ffae",
      "rawRecordSha256": "938df0cc195b124922131dce1853509b3594859a1ebb8355c1708dba37a10962",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 264040
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A hotel or motel.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortened form of (ho)tel and/or (mo)tel + -y.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Word-formation componentmotelen
Word-formation component-yen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "motel",
        "3": "-y",
        "alt1": "(mo)tel",
        "id2": "diminutive"
      },
      "expansion": "(mo)tel + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "(ho)tel",
      "hotel#English"
    ],
    [
      "(mo)tel",
      "motel#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English:_diminutive"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A hotel or motel."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada",
        "Commonwealth",
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "US",
        "colloquial",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "faab7f4f48e022bb8f086d7860709b661e946e7355bcdf3e9bf96ed1ad241a00",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6c970cba4fdda58f6c5dd32498516a08570e0453a147ef2539c404124bf88be9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 264041
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

adj

Inclined to telling (by explicitly stating facts), instead of showing (by conveying an impression so that events are described in the narrative).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From tell + -y, related to the writing advice show, don't tell.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Word-formation componenttellen
Word-formation component-yen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "literature"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tell",
        "3": "-y"
      },
      "expansion": "tell + -y"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tell",
      "tell#English"
    ],
    [
      "-y",
      "-y#English"
    ],
    [
      "show, don't tell",
      "show, don't tell#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Inclined to telling (by explicitly stating facts), instead of showing (by conveying an impression so that events are described in the narrative)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Commonwealth",
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "colloquial",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "b21c12eb6138f5a77976acc26d95bce06f809590952a16912749c8d1ac2804e2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b918d864267957d74d22b63bb79c2d3c11ca190c13a3caeba118f2d843e8a1c3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 264042
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for telly →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dGVsbHk