device
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Pronunciation [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Old French devis, from Latin divisus, past participle of dividere (“to divide”), thus originally, when goods were being divided among people, a mark put on each item to say who was getting what.
Noun [edit]
device (plural devices)
- Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
- 1949. Geneva Convention on Road Traffic Chapter VI. Provisions Applicable to Cycles in International Traffic
- Every cycle shall be equipped with: [...] (b) an audible warning device consisting of a bell [...]
- There are a number of household devices in a kitchen such as a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, or an electric can opener.
- 1949. Geneva Convention on Road Traffic Chapter VI. Provisions Applicable to Cycles in International Traffic
- A project or scheme, often designed to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice.
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version), Jeremiah 51:11
- His device is against Babylon, to destroy it.
- 1827 Hallam, Henry, The English Constitution, Harper
- Their recent device of demanding benevolences.
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version), Job 5:12
- He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
- 2012 March 1, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 106:
- Drawings and pictures are more than mere ornaments in scientific discourse. Blackboard sketches, geological maps, diagrams of molecular structure, astronomical photographs, MRI images, the many varieties of statistical charts and graphs: These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story.
- 1611, King James Version of the Bible (Authorized Version), Jeremiah 51:11
- (rhetoric) A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; a rhetorical device.
- (heraldry) A motto, emblem, or other mark used to distinguish the bearer from others. A device differs from a badge or cognizance primarily because as it is a personal distinction, and not a badge borne by members of the same house successively.
- 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.
- 1736. O'Callaghan, Edmund Bailey. The Documentary History of the State of New York Chapter I, Article III: Enumeration of the Indian Tribes.
- (archaic) Power of devising; invention; contrivance.
- 1824. Landor, Walter Savage "King Henry IV and Sir Arnold Savage" from Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen, page 44
- Moreover I must have instruments of mine own device, weighty, and exceeding costly
- 1976. The Eagles, "Hotel California"
- And she said,
- "We are all prisoners here,
- Of our own device"
- 1824. Landor, Walter Savage "King Henry IV and Sir Arnold Savage" from Imaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen, page 44
- (law) An image used in whole or in part as a trademark or service mark.
- (printing) An image or logo denoting official or proprietary authority or provenience.
- 1943 United States Post Office Department. A Description of United States Postage Stamps / Issued by the Post Office Department from July 1, 1847, to April 1, 1945 [sic], USGPO, Washington, p1:
- 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 prepayment of postage.
- 1943 United States Post Office Department. A Description of United States Postage Stamps / Issued by the Post Office Department from July 1, 1847, to April 1, 1945 [sic], USGPO, Washington, p1:
- (obsolete) A spectacle or show.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Beaumont and Flanders to this entry?)
- (obsolete) Opinion; decision.
Synonyms [edit]
- (piece of equipment): apparatus, appliance, equipment, gadget, design, contrivance
- (project or scheme): scheme, project, stratagem, artifice
- (obsolete, power of devising): invention, contrivance
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
piece of equipment
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project or scheme
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rhetorical device
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heraldry: personal motto or emblem
law: image used in whole or part as a trademark or service mark
obsolete: spectacle or show
obsolete: opinion; decision
obsolete: power of devising
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
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Slovene [edit]
Noun [edit]
device f
- genitive singular form of devica.
- nominative plural form of devica.
- accusative plural form of devica.
