Added 9 October 2026
cable
/ˈkeɪ.bəl/ noun
In Latin: saphon Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about cable at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
Origin
Recorded since c.1205 as Middle English cable, from Old Northern French cable, from Late Latin capulum (“lasso, rope, halter”), from Latin capiō (“to take, seize”). Use of the term "cable" to refer to the USD/GBP exchange rate originated in the mid-19th century, when the exchange rate began to be transmitted across the Atlantic by a submarine communications cable.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)