'audiphone' originates from a modern coinage combining Latin 'audīre' (to hear) and Greek 'phōnē' (voice, sound), where 'aud(i)-' meant 'to hear' and 'phone' meant 'sound/voice'.

'audiphone' was coined in the late 19th century as a compound of 'audio' and 'phone' and appeared in patent descriptions and medical literature for early hearing devices; over time the term was largely replaced by 'hearing aid'.

Initially it meant 'a device that makes sound audible or transmits sound to a listener'; over time it came to be treated simply as an archaic term for 'hearing aid' and is now rare.