means A funnel-shaped device, usually handheld, that amplifies and directs the human voice so it carries farther without electronics.

from Built from Greek parts: 'megas' meaning great or large, plus 'phone' meaning voice or sound — the same 'phone' that echoes through telephone, microphone, and symphony. So the word literally promises a 'big voice.' It's a 19th-century coinage from the age of acoustic invention, when people were busy bolting Greek roots onto every new gadget; Thomas Edison is often credited with the name, though the basic speaking-trumpet is far older.