911

See also: 9・11, 9/11, and 9-1-1

English

Etymology 1

Chosen by the United States in the 1960s in place of the older British 999 number as a better way to avoid accidental calls from push-button telephones. Originally officially pronounced as "nine-eleven", later changed to "nine-one-one" from fear children and some adults might lose time looking for an "11" key in an emergency situation and, after the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington, universally distinguished from 9/11. Officially written as 9-1-1 in regulations and materials from the United States National Emergency Number Association and Federal Communications Commission, which is also advocated by some media style guides.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌnaɪn wʌn ˈwʌn/
• Rhymes: -ʌn

Proper noun

911

1. The telephone number for emergency services in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Liberia, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Anguilla, Palau, and Tonga. [1968]
   • 2006 Feb. 3, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 1, Episode 2:

     I don't know why they couldn't just keep it as it was! How hard is it to remember 911?
     You mean 999...
     I mean 999!
     That's the American one!
     Yeah!
     You berk.

   When you call 911 in the United States, a local dispatcher usually answers the phone with "911" or "911. What's your emergency?"

Alternative forms

• 9-1-1, nine-one-one, nine one one

Coordinate terms

• 000 (Australian), 105 (Mongolia), 110 (China, Iran), 111 (NZ), 112 (EU), 119 (Japan, South Korea), 999 (UK, Ireland, &c.)
• 311, 411, 811

Translations

Emergency services telephone number

• French: 112 (fr)
• Spanish: 112
• Swedish: 112

Noun

911 (countable and uncountable, plural 911s)

1. (Canada, US, metonymically) Emergency services; emergency service personnel.

   911 is sending an ambulance.

2. (Canada, US, colloquial, metonymically) An emergency phone call.
3. (Canada, US, colloquial, metonymically) An emergency.

Verb

911 (third-person singular simple present 911s, present participle 911ing, simple past and past participle 911ed)

1. (Canada, US, colloquial) To call emergency services.
   • 1997 August, “50 New Fall Hair Looks”, Cosmopolitan, Vol. 223, No. 2, p. 208:

     London hairstylist Rick Haylor for the John Frieda Salon—the man Nicole Kidman 911s when she wants her curly mop to lie down and look glamorous—tells you how to go straight.

Etymology 2

Selected so as to be able to continue using most of the labelling from its former name 901 after its competitor Peugeot objected that it had the legal rights to 3-digit automotive model names with a central 0 in the French market. The name 901 had been selected since it was the first version of the 6th major design project after the earlier Porsche 356, which the 911 largely replaced. The name is pronounced "nine-eleven" by analogy with German Neunelfer.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪn əˌlɛvən/

Proper noun

911

1. (automotive) A prominent family of sports cars manufactured by Porsche. [1964]

Synonyms

• Porsche 911

Hyponyms

• 901, Porsche 901

Anagrams

• 119

French

Proper noun

911 m

1. (Canada, Louisiana, telephony) 911

Spanish

Proper noun

911 m

1. (US, telephony) 911