Etymograph

English

smartmodem

From the trade name of a product, the Hayes Smartmodem; from smart + modem.

A compound of smart + modem

Proto-Indo-European *(s)merd- ‘to bite, sting’

Proto-Germanic *smartaz ‘hurting, aching’

Proto-West Germanic *smart

Old English smeart ‘smarting, painful’

Middle English smert

English smart

Today it means

noun A modem controlled through a simple command language, rather than by manual switches.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “smartmodem”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / smartmodem