microphone
/ˈmaɪkrəfoʊn/·마이크로폰·noun
a device for amplifying voice or sound
GreekCEFR A2
Root
micro- (small) + Greek 'phōnē' (sound)
Greek mikros (small) + phōnē (sound) → English microphone (Wheatstone, 1827)
In a word
micro- (small) + phone (sound) = 'a device for small sounds'. Wheatstone coined the name in 1827. By etymology, a microphone is an ear that hears whispers. The same micro lives in microscope — a tool for small sights. Microphone and microscope: a pair, one for the small ear, one for the small eye.
Examples
Speak closer to the microphone.
The microphone picked up every whisper.
He tapped the microphone to test it.
Related
telephonesymphonyphoneticmegaphonemicroscope