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tele-

To or at a distance.

Greek tēle‑, far off.

Terms formed directly from the Greek root include telescope, telegraph, telegram, telephone, television, telemetry, the transmission of instrument readings by radio, and telekinesis (Greek kinēsis, motion), the supposed ability to move objects at a distance by mental power.

The general term for communication over a distance by electronic means is telecommunications. On the model of this and related terms, tele‑ has in recent decades taken on the sense of something that acts or occurs at a distance by means of an electronic link, especially computer-mediated: telecommuter, a person who works from home, using the telephone, fax, or the Internet to connect to the workplace; telecottage, a room or building, especially in a rural area, containing computer equipment for the shared use of people living in the area; teleconference, a conference with participants in different locations linked by communication devices; telemedicine, the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by such technology; telematics, the branch of information technology which deals with the long-distance transmission of computerized information; telepresence, the use of virtual reality technology, especially for remote control of machinery or for apparent participation in distant events.

The form also more specifically refers to a single telecommunications medium. Examples relating to television include telethon, a very long television programme, typically one broadcast to raise money for a charity; televangelist, an evangelical preacher who appears regularly on television; telegenic, having an appearance or manner that is appealing on television; telecine, apparatus used to broadcast cinema films on television. Some refer to the telephone: telebanking, banking over the telephone; telesales and telemarketing, the selling of goods or services by means of telephone calls.

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