device
- 01 A2 Elementary
an object or machine that has been made for a specific purpose, especially an electronic one.
a piece of equipment or a mechanism designed to serve a specific function, particularly in electronic or mechanical contexts.
Simple“You can connect more than one mobile device to the office Wi-Fi.”
In context“The laboratory is equipped with a sophisticated tracking device that monitors the movement of particles in real time.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a clever plan or trick used to get a specific result.
a scheme, stratagem, or artifice designed to achieve a particular goal, often through cleverness or deception.
Simple“The character in the story used a clever device to escape from the locked room.”
In context“The tax hike was merely a political device intended to appease the opposition without making substantive changes to the budget.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
a special way of using words to create a particular effect in a story or speech.
a linguistic or structural technique employed by a writer or speaker to achieve a specific rhetorical or aesthetic effect.
Simple“Metaphor is a common literary device used to compare two different things.”
In context“The orator employed several rhetorical devices, including repetition and irony, to sway the undecided members of the audience.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
a design or symbol used as a logo or to represent a person or group.
a symbolic design, emblem, or heraldic figure used to identify a person, family, or corporate entity.
Simple“The knight's shield was decorated with a golden lion device.”
In context“The company's trademark device was prominently displayed on every piece of official correspondence to ensure brand recognition.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
a word sometimes used for a bomb, especially one made by hand.
a euphemistic or technical term for an explosive unit, often an improvised one.
Simple“The police found a suspicious device left in the park and called the experts.”
In context“Security forces were alerted to the presence of an improvised explosive device concealed within a discarded container near the terminal.”
UsageOften appears in the phrase 'incendiary device' or 'explosive device'.
device vs devise — Device is the physical tool or object, while devise is the action of creating a plan or system.
Usage devices like · use device · various device
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-der. Proto-Italic *wiðō Latin *vidō Latin dīvidō Latin dīvīsus Old French devisbor. Middle English devis English device From Middle English devis, devise, devyce, devys, devyse, from Old French devis and devise, from Latin dīvīsus, past participle of dīvidō (“to divide”). Doublet of devise (noun).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.