Mike

Mike

Noun / Verb · /maɪk/

Definition

(Noun) informal shortening of microphone; a microphone; (Verb) to attach a microphone to or to put a microphone near someone or something; in the NATO phonetic alphabet, Mike represents the letter M.

Origin

Mike as microphone abbreviation is a shortening of microphone, which comes from Greek mikros (small) + phōnē (sound, voice). The Greek mikros root gives micro-, microscope, microbe, and micron. The -phone root gives telephone, saxophone (named after Sax + phone), and phonology. The NATO phonetic alphabet usage: the NATO phonetic alphabet assigns a word to each letter of the alphabet to ensure clarity in voice communication; the word for M has been Mike since the 1956 standardisation of the ICAO/NATO alphabet.