ENGLISH
REFERENCE

handheld

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈhændˈhɛɫd// UK //hˈændhɛld// Hardware
Definition

adj. describes a device that is small and light enough to be held and used with your hands.

adj. designed to be held in the hand while in use; small enough to be portable and operated without a stand or surface. Often used attributively before a noun.


SIMPLE

He plays games on a handheld console.

CONTEXTUAL

The warehouse staff use handheld scanners to track every item that enters the building.

COMPLEX

While early computers occupied entire rooms, modern handheld devices possess significantly more processing power and can perform complex calculations in seconds.

Origin

A compound formed from the noun hand and the past participle of the verb hold. The term emerged in the mid-twentieth century as a descriptor for portable equipment before becoming a standalone noun in the computing era.

Usage

Typically placed before the noun it modifies.

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