Word
computer
Phoneticscom·put·er
US/kəmˈpjutɝ/
UK/kəmpjˈuːtɐ/
Definitions
01electronic device
n. an electronic machine that you use for work, games, or the internet.
n. a programmable electronic device that processes, stores, and retrieves data.
“I use my computer every day to send emails and watch videos.”
“Modern computers are capable of processing billions of operations per second, enabling complex simulations and high-speed data analysis.”
Usage
Usually a countable noun; can be used as a modifier in phrases like 'computer programmer' or 'computer screen'.
02a person who calculates
n. a person whose job was to do long and difficult math problems before machines were invented.
n. a person employed to perform complex mathematical calculations manually.
“In the past, a computer was a person who spent all day doing math.”
“Before the advent of digital technology, the observatory employed dozens of human computers to map the trajectories of the stars.”
Archaic · Formal
Teaching tip
This sense is historical; learners will mostly encounter it in books or films about the history of science, such as 'Hidden Figures'.
Synonyms
Etymology
From compute + -er. Doublet of cantore, counter, and kontor. First sense first appears c. 1613 in the works of the poet Richard Brathwait. Second sense first appears c. 1897 in the magazine Engineering.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Related words
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/computer