* "Micro-" comes from the Greek word "mikrós," meaning "small."
* "-phone" comes from the Greek word "phōnē," meaning "sound" or "voice."
Essentially, "microphone" literally means "small sound."
This word was first coined in 1827 by Sir Charles Wheatstone, a British physicist, to describe a device that amplified sound.
It's worth noting that while the concept of amplifying sound existed before Wheatstone, his was the first device to be called a "microphone." The devices we use today are far more advanced, but the name remains the same, reflecting the fundamental function of these devices: to amplify and capture small sounds.