Online Etymology Dictionary

telephone (v.): 1878, from telephone (n.). Related: Telephoned; telephoning.
telephone (n.): 1835, "apparatus for signaling by musical notes" (devised by Sudré in 1828), from French téléphone (c.1830), from télé- "far" (see tele-) + phone "sound" (see fame (n.)). Also used of other apparatus early 19c., including "instrument similar to a foghorn for signaling from ship to ship" (1844). The electrical communication tool was first described in modern form by P.Reis (1861); developed by Bell, and so called by him from 1876.
telephonic (adj.): 1834, in reference to a system of signaling by musical sounds, from tele- + phonic.
telephony (n.): 1835, "a system of signaling by musical sounds;" from 1876 as "the art of working a telephone;" see tele- + -phone.
telephoto (adj.): 1898, shortened form of telephotographic (1892), from tele- + photographic.
teleport (v.): 1940, in reference to religious miracles, from tele- + ending from transport. Related: Teleported; teleporter; teleporting.
teleportation (n.): 1931, as a term in psychics and science fiction, from tele- + (trans)portation.
teleprompter (n.): 1951, originally a proprietary name in U.S., from tele- + prompter. The equivalent British proprietary name is Autocue.
telescope (n.): 1640s, from Italian telescopio (used by Galileo, 1611), and Modern Latin telescopium (used by Kepler, 1613), both from Greek teleskopos "far-seeing," from tele- "far" (see tele-) + -skopos "seeing" (see -scope). Said to have been coined by Prince Cesi, founder and head of the Roman Academy of the Lincei (Galileo was a member). Used in English in Latin form from 1619.
telescope (v.): "to force together one inside the other" (like the sliding tubes of some telescopes), 1867, from telescope (n.). Related: Telescoped; telescoping.
telescopic (adj.): 1705, from telescope + -ic.
Teletex: proprietary name for a computer data-sharing network, 1978.
telethon (n.): prolonged TV fundraiser, 1949, from tele(vision) + (mara)thon (see -athon). Milton Berle's 16-hour television cancer fundraiser in April 1949 might have been the first to be so called.
teletype (n.): 1904, trademark for a communications system of typewriters connected electronically, short for teletypewriter (1904), a form of telegraph in which the receiver prints messages like a typewriter, from tele- + typewriter.
televangelist (n.): 1973, from tele(vision) + evangelist. The earliest record of the word in OED is a reference to Rex Humbard in a "New York Times" article of July 26, 1973 (television evangelist is from 1958).
televise (v.): 1927 back-formation from television, on model of other verbs from nouns ending in -(v)ision (e.g. revise). Related: Televised; televising.
television (n.): 1907, "the action of seeing by means of Hertzian waves or otherwise, what is existing or happening at a place concealed or distant from the observer's eyes" [OED]; in theoretical discussions about sending images by radio transmission, formed in English or borrowed from French télévision, from tele- + vision. Other proposals for the name of this then-hypothetical technology were telephote (1880) and televista (1904). The technology was developed in the 1920s and '30s. Nativized in German as Fernsehen.
Television is the first truly democratic culture -- the first culture available to everyone and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what people do want. [Clive Barnes, "New York Times," Dec. 30, 1969]
Meaning "a television set" is from 1955. Shortened form TV is from 1948.
Telex: 1932, "a communication system of teletypewriters," from tel(etype) ex(change).
telic (adj.): 1846, from Greek telikos "final," from telos (see tele-).
tell (v.): Old English tellan "to reckon, calculate, consider, account," from Proto-Germanic *taljanan "to mention in order" (cf. Old Saxon tellian, Old Norse telja, Old Frisian tella "to count, tell," Dutch tellen "to count, reckon," Old Saxon talon "to count, reckon," Danish tale "to speak," Old High German zalon, German zählen "to count, reckon"), from root *talo (see tale). Meaning "to narrate, relate" is from c.1000; that of "to make known by speech or writing, announce" is from early 12c. Sense of "to reveal or disclose" is from c.1400; that of "to act as an informer, to 'peach' " is recorded from 1901. Meaning "to order (someone to do something)" is from 1590s. Original sense in teller and phrase to tell time. For sense evolution, cf. French conter "to count," raconter "to recount;" Italian contare, Spanish contar "to count, recount, narrate;" German zählen "to count," erzählen "to recount, narrate."
I tolde hyme so, & euer he seyde nay. [Thomas Hoccleve, "The Regiment of Princes," c.1412]
Telling "having effect or force" is from 1852.
tell (n.): "mound, hill," 1864, from Arabic tall, related to Hebrew tel "mount, hill, heap."
teller (n.): "bank clerk who pays or receives money," late 15c., "person who keeps accounts," from tell (v.) in its secondary sense of "count, enumerate," which is the primary sense of cognate words in many Germanic languages.
telltale: 1540s (n.), 1590s (adj.), from tell + tale, in phrase to tell a tale "relate a false or exaggerated story" (late 13c.).
tellurian (adj.): "pertaining to the earth," 1846, from Latin tellus (genitive telluris) "earth," from PIE root *tel- "ground, floor" (cf. Lithuanian telinat "spread out, flat," Sanskrit talam "plain, sole of the foot," Old Church Slavonic tilo "floor," Greek telia "dice board," Old Irish talam "earth," Old Norse þilja "plank"). The chemical telluride is attested from 1849.
telluric (adj.): "pertaining to Earth as a planet," 1836, from Latin tellurem "the earth" (see tellurian) + -ic.
tellurium (n.): metallic element, named by German chemist and mineralogist Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743-1817) from Latin tellus (genitive telluris) "earth" (see tellurian).
telly (n.): chiefly British English shortening of television, attested by 1940.
telophase: 1895, from Greek telo-, comb. form of tele "far off, occurring exceptionally" (see tele-) + phase.
telos (n.): 1904, from Greek telos "the end" (see tele-).
telson (n.): 1855, from Greek telson "a limit" (see tele-).
temblor (n.): earthquake, 1876, from American Spanish temblor "earthquake," from Spanish temblor, literally "a trembling," from temblar "to tremble," from Vulgar Latin *tremulare (see tremble).
temerarious (adj.): 1530s, from Latin temerarius "fortuitous, rash," from temere "blindly, rashly" (see temerity). Related: Temerariously; temerariousness.
temerity (n.): early 15c., from Middle French témérité (15c.), from Latin temeritatem (nominative temeritas) "blind chance, accident, rashness," from temere "by chance, blindly, casually, rashly," related to tenebrae "darkness," from PIE root *temes- "dark" (cf. Sanskrit tamas- "darkness," tamsrah "dark;" Avestan temah "darkness;" Lithuanian tamsa "darkness," tamsus "dark;" Old Church Slavonic tima "darkness;" Old High German dinstar "dark;" Old Irish temel "darkness").
temp: 1909 (adj.), 1932 (n.), American English, shortened form of temporary (job, employee, etc.).
temper (v.): late Old English temprian "to bring to a proper or suitable state, to modify some excessive quality, to restrain within due limits," from Latin temperare "to mix correctly, moderate, regulate, blend," usually described as from tempus "time, season" (see temporal), with a sense of "proper time or season," but the sense history is obscure. Meaning "to make (steel) hard and elastic" is from late 14c. Sense of "to tune the pitch of a musical instrument" is recorded from c.1300. Related: Tempered; tempering.
temper (n.): late 14c., "due proportion of elements or qualities," from temper (v.). The sense of "characteristic state of mind" is first recorded 1590s; that of "calm state of mind" in c.1600; and that of "angry state of mind" (for bad temper) in 1828. Meaning "degree of hardness and resiliency in steel" is from late 15c.
tempera (n.): 1832, from Italian tempera (in phrase pingere a tempera), from temperare "to mix colors, temper," from Latin temperare "to mix" (see temper (v.)).
temperament (n.): early 15c., "proportioned mixture of elements," from Latin temperamentum "proper mixture," from temperare "to mix" (see temper). In medieval theory, it meant a combination of qualities (hot, cold, moist, dry) that determined the nature of an organism; this was extended to a combination of the four humors (sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and melancholic) that made up a person's characteristic disposition. General sense of "habit of mind, natural disposition" is from 1821.
temperamental (adj.): "of or pertaining to temperament," 1640s, from temperament; in the sense of "moody" it is recorded from 1907.
temperance (n.): mid-14c., "self-restraint, moderation," from Anglo-French temperaunce (mid-13c.), from Latin temperantia "moderation," from temperans, present participle of temperare "to moderate" (see temper). Latin temperantia was used by Cicero to translate Greek sophrosyne "moderation." In English, temperance was used to render Latin continentia or abstinentia, specifically in reference to drinking alcohol and eating; hence by early 1800s it came to mean "abstinence from alcoholic drink."
temperate (adj.): late 14c., of persons, "modest, forbearing, self-restrained," from Latin temperatus "restrained, regulated," from past participle of temperare "to moderate, regulate" (see temper (v.)). Applied to climates mid-15c.; temperate zone is attested from 1550s. Related: Temperately; temperateness.
temperature (n.): 1530s, "fact of being tempered," also "character or nature of a substance," from Latin temperatura "a tempering, moderation," from temperatus, past participle of temperare "to moderate" (see temper (v.)). Sense of "degree of heat or cold" first recorded 1670 (Boyle), from Latin temperatura, used in this sense by Galileo. Meaning "fever, high temperature" is attested from 1898.
tempest (n.): "violent storm," mid-13c., from Old French tempeste (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *tempesta, from Latin tempestas (genitive tempestatis) "storm, weather, season," also "commotion, disturbance," related to tempus "time, season" (see temporal). Sense evolution is from "period of time" to "period of weather," to "bad weather" to "storm." Words for "weather" were originally words for "time" in languages from Russia to Brittany. Figurative sense of "violent commotion" is recorded from early 14c.
tempestuous (adj.): mid-15c., from Latin tempestuosus, from tempestas (see tempest). The figurative sense is older in English; literal sense is from c.1500. Related: Tempestuously.
Templar (n.): late 13c., from Anglo-French templer, Old French templier (c.1200), from Medieval Latin templaris (mid-12c.), member of the medieval religious/military order known as Knights Templars (c.1118-1312), so called because they had headquarters in a building near Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem.
template (n.): 1670s, templet "horizontal piece under a girder or beam," probably from French templet "weaver's stretcher," diminutive of temple, which meant the same thing, from Latin templum "plank, rafter," also "building for worship" (see temple (n.1)).

The meaning "pattern or gauge for shaping a piece of work" is first recorded 1819 in this form, earlier temple (1680s); the form was altered 1844, probably influenced by plate, but the pronunciation did not begin to shift until much more recently.
temple (n.1): "building for worship," Old English tempel, from Latin templum "piece of ground consecrated for the taking of auspices, building for worship," of uncertain signification. Commonly referred either to PIE root *tem- "to cut," on notion of "place reserved or cut out," or to PIE root *temp- "to stretch," on notion of cleared space in front of an altar. Figurative sense of "any place regarded as occupied by divine presence" was in Old English. Applied to Jewish synagogues from 1590s.
temple (n.2): "side of the forehead," early 14c., from Old French temple "side of the forehead" (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *tempula (feminine singular), from Latin tempora, plural of tempus (genitive temporis) "side of the forehead," probably originally "the thin stretch of skin at the side of the forehead." Possibly associated with tempus span "timely space (for a mortal blow with a sword)," or from the notion of "stretched, thinnest part," which is the sense of cognate Old English ðunwange, literally "thin cheek."
tempo (n.): "relative speed of a piece of music," 1724, from Italian tempo, literally "time" (plural tempi), from Latin tempus (genitive temporis) "time" (see temporal). Extended to non-musical senses 1898.
temporal (adj.): mid-14c., "worldly, secular," later "of time, terrestrial, earthly" (late 14c.), "temporary, lasting only for a time" (late 14c.), from Old French temporal, from Latin temporalis "of time, temporary," from tempus (genitive temporis) "time, season, proper time or season," of unknown origin. Related: Temporality.