What does semaphore mean?
Word: Semaphore
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Semaphore means a way of sending messages by holding two flags or the arms in set positions.
Word origin: Formed in modern times from Greek sema and -phoros.
How do you spell semaphore?
Syllables: sem - a - phore
Tricky part: The f sound is spelt ph, because the word is Greek. Writing an f is the commonest slip.
Watch out for: semafore, semmaphore
Memory tip: Phones and semaphore both carry messages, and both spell that sound with ph.
Semaphore in a sentence
Example 1: Aditi learnt semaphore at camp and spelt out her name across the field.
Example 2: On a clear day the two ships could exchange news by semaphore.
Example 3: Our teacher showed us semaphore so that we could send messages across the playground in silence.
Fun Fact
In the 1790s, Claude Chappe built a chain of towers across France with movable wooden arms that passed coded messages from hilltop to hilltop. It is often called the semaphore telegraph.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
e, a, o, e
a) m_cr_ph_n_
b) s_m_ph_r_
c) h_m_sph_r_
d) t_l_ph_n_
Show answer
b) s_m_ph_r_. Those four vowels complete the signalling word; the others need different vowels.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
The opening of semaphore comes from the Greek word sema. What did sema mean?
a) a sign
b) a tower
c) a flag
d) a ship
Show answer
a) a sign. The same Greek root gives us semantics, the study of what words signify.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
hseomraep
a) a long formal speech given to a crowd
b) a wide curved roof on a large building
c) a tall building that guides sailors at night
d) a visual code once used between ships at sea
Show answer
d) a visual code once used between ships at sea. The letters rebuild a word from the world of sailors and Scouts.
Sound Check
In which word is 'ph' pronounced differently?
a) semaphore
b) sphere
c) phantom
d) shepherd
Show answer
d) shepherd. In shepherd the p and h belong to different parts, so you hear a p; the others have an f sound.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Two Scouts on opposite hills are using semaphore. What must they be able to do?
a) send each other printed notes
b) call each other on mobile
c) hear each other clearly
d) see each other clearly
Show answer
d) see each other clearly
2. Why did semaphore lose its place on most ships?
a) Sailors no longer learnt to read.
b) Radio messages could travel farther.
c) Flags became too costly to make.
d) Ships were built without any masts.
Show answer
b) Radio messages could travel farther.
