beeper

English

Etymology

From beep +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbiːpə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbipɚ/
• Rhymes: -iːpə(ɹ)

Noun

beeper (plural beepers)

1. Something that makes a beeping sound.
   1. A simple computer speaker.
      • 1986, Dr. Dobb's journal of software tools for the professional programmer: volume 11, page 53:

        The Controls option enables you to resize and move a currently displayed window, as well as toggle the PC beeper.

   2. A pager (wireless telecommunication device).
      • 1993, “Just Another Day”, in Black Reign, performed by Queen Latifah:

        No stages, front pages, no phones, no beepers

2. (radio, informal) A broadcast interview taking place over the telephone (originally having to include a beeping sound to indicate that it was not a live broadcast).
   • 2009, Keith Oliver, Command Attention: Promoting Your Organization the Marine Corps Way (page 11)

     Radio "beepers" are easy: all you need is a telephone, and you can basically have an overseas conversation with any DJ or radio news director in America.

Derived terms

• backup beeper

Descendants

• → Polish: biper, beeper

Translations

something that makes a beeping sound

Indonesian: pembunyi bip Polish: biper (pl) m

pager

Finnish: hakulaite (fi) Indonesian: penyeranta (id), radio panggil (literally “call radio”) Italian: cercapersone (it) m Polish: biper (pl) m Sicilian: cerca-pirsuna m Turkish: çağrı cihazı (tr)

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English beeper.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbi.pɛr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ipɛr
• Syllabification: bee‧per

Noun

beeper m inan

1. (electronics, telecommunications) Alternative spelling of biper

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	beeper	beepery
genitive	beepera	beeperów
dative	beeperowi	beeperom
accusative	beeper	beepery
instrumental	beeperem	beeperami
locative	beeperze	beeperach
vocative	beeperze	beepery

Declension of beeper

Further reading

• beeper in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• beeper in Polish dictionaries at PWN