device
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device
- /dɪˈvaɪs/ UK
- /dɪˈvaɪs/ Canada, US
- [dɪˈvʌɪs]
- /dəˈvaɪs/
- /dɪˈvɑɪs/ Australia
Rhymes with -aɪs
Where it comes from
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).
noun devices
-
Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
Near-synonyms: equipment, tool, machine
Similar: equipment, tool, machine, apparatus, appliance, gadget, design, contrivance
- A peripheral device; an item of hardware.
- A project or scheme, often designed to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice. 1602, Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor. "This is our device,/ That Falstaff at that oak shall meet with us." His device is against Babylon, to destroy it.
- An improvised explosive device, home-made bomb Inflammable material is planted in my head / It's a suspect device that's left 2000 dead
- A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; a rhetorical device. 1736. O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey. The Documentary History of the State of New York Chapter I, Article III: Enumeration of the Indian Tribes. The devices of these savages are the serpent, the Deer, and the Small Acorn.
- A motto, emblem, or other mark used to distinguish the bearer from others. A device differs from a badge or cognizance primarily as it is a personal distinction, and not a badge borne by members of the same house successively.
-
Power of devising; invention; contrivance.
Moreover I must have instruments of mine own device, weighty, and exceeding costly
Similar: invention, contrivance
- An image used in whole or in part as a trademark or service mark.
- An image or logo denoting official or proprietary authority or provenience. Prior to the issuance of the first stamps, letters accepted by postmasters for dispatch were marked "Paid" by means of pen and ink or hand stamps of various designs. … To facilitate the handling of mail matter, some postmasters provided special stamps or devices for use on letters as evidence of the
- Any specific class of wordplay element in a cryptic crossword. These eight devices, and combinations thereof, account for nearly every kind of wordplay you will encounter in cryptic crosswords.
- A spectacle or show. It will be out of faſhion to weare ſwords, / Maſques, and devices welcome, I ſalute you […]
- Opinion; decision.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: twist, gimmick, contrivance, machinery, apparatus, contraption, mechanism, machine, charger, tract, plane, framework, cornering, leveling, camera, artifact
Translations
Every language
noun piece of equipment
| Español | dispositivo, mecanismo, aparejo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 장치 jangchi, 디바이스 dibaiseu |
| 日本語 | 装置 sōchi, デバイス debaisu |
| 中文 | 裝置 /装置 zhuāngzhì |
| हिन्दी | यंत्र yantra, युक्ति yukti, उपकरण upakraṇ |
| Português | aparelho, dispositivo, aparato |
| Français | appareil, dispositif |
| Deutsch | Gerät, Apparat, Einheit, Instrument, Baustein, Vorrichtung |
| Italiano | apparecchio, congegno, dispositivo, periferica |
| Ελληνικά | συσκευή syskeví |
| Română | aparat, piesă, dispozitiv, element (de construcție), componentă, unitate (componentă) |
| Русский | устро́йство ustrójstvo, приспособле́ние prisposoblénije, дева́йс devájs, га́джет gádžet, аппара́т apparát, механи́зм mexanízm |
| Tiếng Việt | thiết bị, dụng cụ |
| العربية | أَدَاة ʔadāh, جِهَاز jihāz, آلَة ʔāla |
| עברית | הֶתקֵן mitkan, מַכְשִׁיר makhshír |
noun project, stratagem, artifice
| Português | artifício |
|---|---|
| Français | stratagème, ruse, manœuvre, artifice |
| Deutsch | Instrument, Kunstgriff, Vorrichtung, Einrichtung, Hilfsmittel |
| Italiano | stratagemma, beffa, artificio |
| Ελληνικά | τέχνασμα téchnasma |
| Русский | план plan, прое́кт projékt, схе́ма sxéma, зате́я zatéja, уло́вка ulóvka |
Talk about this word "device." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/device. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. device. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/device "device." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/device.Cite this
@misc{device_2026,
title = {device},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/device},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
