interphone

intercom

noun an-tehr-FOHN Rare

Usage Note

Interphone is the standard French word for an intercom system, especially the door-entry device in apartment buildings (what British English calls a 'door entry phone' or 'entryphone'). It is distinct from téléphone intérieur (internal telephone). Pressing sonner à l'interphone means ringing the building's intercom buzzer.

Examples

"Elle a répondu à l'interphone sans ouvrir la porte."

Natural Translation

She answered the intercom without opening the door.

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