Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Fax for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Fax" — noun, pronounced /fæks/, with the stress on "fax".
Narrator: A fax is a copy of a document sent electronically over telephone lines, or the system for sending it.
Narrator: In plain English, a fax is a document sent by phone line — like sending a signed contract by fax.
Narrator: It is short for facsimile, from the Latin fac simile, meaning make like, or make a copy.
Narrator: "To send a fax" describes transmitting a document copy over a phone line.
Narrator: It differs from email because fax sends an image of a document, whereas email sends digital text.
Narrator: "A fax machine" is a sense meaning the device used to send and receive faxes.
Narrator: Business, office administration, law and communication all rely on the word fax.
Narrator: So remember: a fax is a sent copy, short for facsimile, from the Latin for make like.
Speaker A: What is a fax?
Speaker B: A sent copy! FAX is short for facsimile, from the Latin fac simile, make like, so it means a document sent electronically over phone lines.
Speaker A: So it's an old way to send documents?
Speaker B: Yes — before email!
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "Send a fax"; "a fax machine"; "by fax" — action, device and method.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: Don't write fax as FAX in everyday text, because fax is the standard form, though FAX is the acronym.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: 'Facsimile' the full cousin, 'telegram' the old twin, 'scan' the modern alternative. The word keeps its sending charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "fax" in AI prompts — useful for business apps and office tools.
Speaker A: So a prompt could frame business?
Speaker B: Right. For a business app, you'd write:
Prompt: Write a short guide to sending a fax, naming two steps.
Speaker A: How about an office tool?
Speaker B: Ask the model to advise:
Prompt: Draft a guide to using a fax machine, naming two features.
Speaker A: Could it help with a legal bot?
Speaker B: Yes, you can frame documents:
Prompt: Summarise in two sentences why faxes are still used in law, naming one reason.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: For a history chatbot, try this:
Prompt: Write a short note on the history of the fax, naming one decade.
Fax — meaning in Arabic & definition More F courses GL Dictionary