A former international telecommunications service using teleprinters to send typed messages over telegraph lines. A message sent via this system.
Coined in 1932 as a portmanteau of 'teleprinter exchange', combining 'tele-' (distant) from Greek and 'exchange' from Latin 'excambire'. The system was developed to allow direct communication between teleprinter machines worldwide, revolutionizing business communication before being superseded by fax and email.
Telex was the internet of its era, creating the first global network where businesses could instantly send written messages across continents using standardized codes and formatting. The system's reliability was legendary - telex messages were legally binding in many countries because the network's design made forgery nearly impossible, a level of trust that modern email has never achieved.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.