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Sense: 1-3
Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old North French
Origin: Medieval Latin capulum 'circle of rope for catching animals', from Latin capere 'to take'
Sense: 4
Date: 1800-1900
Origin: cablegram

cable

1 noun
     
Related topics: Television and Radio, Daily Life, Technology, Telephone, Telegraph, Water
ca‧ble1 W3
1 [countable]TD a plastic or rubber tube containing wires that carry telephone messages, electronic signals, television pictures etc:
cables and switches for computers
2 [uncountable and countable]TTWTBC a thick strong metal rope used on ships, to support bridges etc
3AMT [uncountable] a system of broadcasting television by using cables, paid for by the person watching it
on cable
I'll wait for the movie to come out on cable.
4 [countable]TCT a telegram
WORD FOCUS: television WORD FOCUS: television
similar words: TV, telly BrE informal, the box BrE informal, the tube AmE informal
programmes on television: the news, soap opera, sitcom, drama series, detective series, documentary, docusoap, game show, talk show also chat show British English, made-for-TV movie, cartoon, reality TV, infomercial
a TV programme shown on the Internet: webcast
a company that broadcasts programmes: channel, station
types of television broadcasts: terrestrial British English, cable, satellite, digital, pay-per-viewtelevision

➔ See also television
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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