telly

Definition

n. a common word for the television. You use it when talking casually with friends or family.

n. a television set or the medium of television broadcasting. Primarily associated with British English.

simple

“What is on the telly tonight?”

contextual

“After a long day at work, he usually just wants to sit on the sofa and watch the telly.”

complex

“The shift from traditional telly to streaming services has fundamentally changed how families consume media together in the evenings.”

Often used with the definite article 'the' when referring to the medium or the device.

Shortened form of tele(vision) + -y.

Shortened form of (ho)tel and/or (mo)tel + -y.

From tell + -y, related to the writing advice show, don't tell.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Television