computer
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computer
- /kəmˈpjuː.tə/ UK
- /kəmˈpjʉw.tə/ British, Southern, Standard
- /kəmˈpɪʊtə/ Wales
- /kəmˈpjʉː.tə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /kəmˈpju.tɚ/ US
- [kəmˈpjuɾɚ] US
- /kəmˈpjʉtər/ Scotland
- /kəmˈpjʉtəɹ/ Northern Ireland
Rhymes with -uːtə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From compute + -er. Doublet of cantore, counter, and kontor. The sense referring to people first appears c. 1613 in the works of the poet Richard Brathwait. The sense referring to a machine first appears c. 1897 in the magazine Engineering.
noun computers · computor
- A programmable electronic device that performs mathematical calculations and logical operations, especially one that can process, store and retrieve large amounts of data very quickly; now especially, a small one for personal or home use employed for manipulating text or graphics, accessing the Internet, or playing games or media. Meronyms: processor, microprocessor, CPU
-
A person employed to perform computations; one who computes.
I haue read the truest computer of Times, and the best Arithmetician that euer breathed, and he reduceth thy dayes into a short number: The daies of Man are threescore and ten.
Similar: computator, mental calculator, human calculator
-
A male computer.
Coordinate term: (female) computress
Similar: computator, mental calculator, human calculator
Similar: 'puter, box, calculator, computer, data processing machine, electronic brain, electronic computer, machine, number cruncher, thinking machine
verb computers · computering · computered · computor
- To use a computer. Cool he was computering, though. My dad, who is only in his 60's (mom too) thinks he is too busy to get connected to the internet. Oh well. More bandwidth for the rest of us, huh?
- To send via computer. They had immediately computered the description out to the scores of law enforcement agencies in Southern California.
- To transfer onto a computer; to computerize. I know there are storage warehouses in New York and Virginia and all over the place, St. Louis, and many other places, that keep these things. I think this is a very fertile area for this committee, and perhaps computering it, or microfilm preservation, or things of that sort.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: calculator, electronic computer, figurer, reckoner, estimator, data processor, informatics, supercomputer, mainframe, computerization, computerised, software, workstation, data, computing, laptop
noun
Similar: 'puter, box, calculator, computer, data processing machine, electronic brain, electronic computer, machine, number cruncher, thinking machine
Translations
Every language
noun person
| Español | computador, calculador |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 計算手 keisanshu |
| 中文 | 計算者 /计算者 jìsuànzhě, 計算員 /计算员 jìsuànyuán |
| Português | computador, calculista |
| Ελληνικά | λογιστής logistís, λογίστρια logístria |
| Русский | вычисли́тель vyčislítelʹ, вычисли́тельница vyčislítelʹnica, расчётчик rasčótčik, расчётчица rasčótčica, счётчик sčótčik, счётчица sčótčica |
| العربية | مُحَاسِب muḥāsib |
noun programmable electronic device
| Español | computador, computadora, ordenador |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 전자계산기 jeonjagyesan'gi |
| 日本語 | コンピュータ kompyūta, コンピューター kompyūtā, 電脳 dennō, 電子計算機 denshi keisanki, 電算 densan |
| 中文 | 計算機 /计算机 jìsuànjī |
| हिन्दी | संगणक saṅgṇak, कंप्यूटर kampyūṭar, अभिकलित्र abhiklitra |
| Kiswahili | kompyuta, tarakilishi |
| Português | computador, calculador |
| Français | ordinateur |
| Deutsch | Computer, Rechner |
| Italiano | calcolatore, computer, elaboratore, computatore, computiere |
| Ελληνικά | υπολογιστής ypologistís, κομπιούτερ kompioúter |
| Română | computer, calculator, ordinator |
| Русский | компью́тер kompʹjútɛr, ЭВМ EVM |
| Tiếng Việt | máy vi tính, máy điện toán, máy tính, máy tính điện tử |
| العربية | حَاسُوب ḥāsūb, حَاسِب ḥāsib, كَمْبْيُوتَر kambyūtar |
| עברית | מַחְשֵׁב makhshév |
Talk about this word "computer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/computer. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. computer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/computer "computer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/computer.Cite this
@misc{computer_2026,
title = {computer},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/computer},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
