àbac

See also: abac and ABAC

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin abacus, abax; from Ancient Greek ἄβαξ (ábax, “board or slab”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈa.βək]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈa.bək]
• IPA^(key): (Valencian) [ˈa.bak]

• Audio

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Noun

àbac m (plural àbacs)

1. an abacus (calculating frame with beads constrained to rows by grooves or wires)
2. (archaic) in the Middle Ages, a mathematics textbook
3. a mathematical table
4. (billiards) score string
5. an abacus (sand tray used for drawing or calculating)
6. (architecture) an abacus (uppermost prismatic member of a column)
7. (games) a checkerboard or a chessboard
8. (furniture, archaic) an abacus (compartmented tray or table used to store valuables)
9. (furniture, modern) More generally, now used for any table
10. a sluice, especially one used for mining
11. (construction) an abacus (plates of stone or metal used to cover a surface)

Synonyms

• (any piece of furniture used as a table): taula, tauler
• (sluice): obi

Derived terms

• àbac màgic
• àbac neperià

Further reading

• “àbac” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.