computer

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See also: Computer and compùter

English[edit]

Human computers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1955).
An electronic computer (circa early 1980s).

Etymology[edit]

From compute +‎ -er.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (UK) IPA(key): /kəmˈpjuːtə/
  • Audio (UK)
    		(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /kəmˈpjutɚ/, [kəmˈpʰjuɾɚ]
  • Audio (US)
    		(file)
  • Hyphenation: com‧put‧er
  • Rhymes: -uːtə(r)

Noun[edit]

computer (plural computers)

  1. (now rare, chiefly historical) A person employed to perform computations; one who computes. [from 17th c.]
    • 1674, “To the Guardian-Angel”, in Reflexions upon the Devotions of the Roman Church, London: Richard Royston, page 419:
      By which manner of ſpeaking, this Propheteſs, who is ſo exact a Computer, would have us, I ſuppoſe, to conclude, that it would be a great miſtake to think that the number of Angels was either 9, or 11 for one of Men.
    • 1927, J. B. S. Haldane, Possible Worlds and Other Essays, page 173
      Only a few years ago Mr. Powers, an American computer, disproved a hypothesis about prime numbers which had held the field for more than 250 years.
    • 2003, Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything, BCA, page 116:
      One Harvard computer, Annie Jump Cannon, used her repetitive acquaintance with the stars to devise a system of stellar classifications so practical that it is still in use today.
  2. (by restriction, chiefly historical) A male computer, where the female computer is called a computress.
  3. 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. [from 20th c.]
    Synonyms: processor, 'puter (informal), box (slang), machine, calculator

Quotations[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Hyponyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from computer

Related terms[edit]

Related terms

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

See also

Further reading[edit]

Danish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English computer.

Noun[edit]

computer c (singular definite computeren, plural indefinite computere)

  1. computer (machine)

Declension[edit]

Declension of computer
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative computer computeren computere computerne
genitive computers computerens computeres computernes

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English computer.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

computer m (plural computers, diminutive computertje n)

  1. computer

Verb[edit]

computer

  1. first-person singular present indicative of computeren
  2. imperative of computeren

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin computō, computāre (“to compute, sum up”). See also the doublets compter, and conter.

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

computer

  1. (archaic, rare) to compute
    • 1802, François-René de Chateaubriand, Génie du christianisme
      Quant aux ères, ici on compte par l'année de la création, là par olympiade, par la fondation de Rome, par la naissance de Jésus-Christ, par l'époque d'Eusèbe, par celle des Séleucides, celle de Nabonassar, celle des martyrs. Les Turcs ont leur hégire, les Persans leur yezdegerdic. On compute encore par les éres julienne, grégorienne, ibérienne et actienne.
      As the eras, here they compute by the year of the creation, there by olympiads, by the foundation of Rome, by the birth of Christ, by the epoch of Eusebius, by that of Seleucids, of Nabonassar, of the Martyrs. The Turks have their hegira, the Persians their yezdegerdie. The Julian, Gregorian, Iberian and Actian eras, are also employed in computation.

Conjugation[edit]

Conjugation of computer (see also Appendix:French verbs)
present participle computant
/kɔ̃.py.tɑ̃/
past participle computé
/kɔ̃.py.te/
infinitive
simple computer
compound avoir + past participle
gerund1
simple computant
/kɔ̃.py.tɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present compute
/kɔ̃.pyt/ 		computes
/kɔ̃.pyt/ 		compute
/kɔ̃.pyt/ 		computons
/kɔ̃.py.tɔ̃/ 		computez
/kɔ̃.py.te/ 		computent
/kɔ̃.pyt/
imperfect computais
/kɔ̃.py.tɛ/ 		computais
/kɔ̃.py.tɛ/ 		computait
/kɔ̃.py.tɛ/ 		computions
/kɔ̃.py.tjɔ̃/ 		computiez
/kɔ̃.py.tje/ 		computaient
/kɔ̃.py.tɛ/
past historic2 computai
/kɔ̃.py.tɛ/ 		computas
/kɔ̃.py.ta/ 		computa
/kɔ̃.py.ta/ 		computâmes
/kɔ̃.py.tam/ 		computâtes
/kɔ̃.py.tat/ 		computèrent
/kɔ̃.py.tɛʁ/
future computerai
/kɔ̃.py.tʁɛ/ 		computeras
/kɔ̃.py.tʁa/ 		computera
/kɔ̃.py.tʁa/ 		computerons
/kɔ̃.py.tʁɔ̃/ 		computerez
/kɔ̃.py.tʁe/ 		computeront
/kɔ̃.py.tʁɔ̃/
conditional computerais
/kɔ̃.py.tʁɛ/ 		computerais
/kɔ̃.py.tʁɛ/ 		computerait
/kɔ̃.py.tʁɛ/ 		computerions
/kɔ̃.py.tə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		computeriez
/kɔ̃.py.tə.ʁje/ 		computeraient
/kɔ̃.py.tʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present compute
/kɔ̃.pyt/ 		computes
/kɔ̃.pyt/ 		compute
/kɔ̃.pyt/ 		computions
/kɔ̃.py.tjɔ̃/ 		computiez
/kɔ̃.py.tje/ 		computent
/kɔ̃.pyt/
imperfect2 computasse
/kɔ̃.py.tas/ 		computasses
/kɔ̃.py.tas/ 		computât
/kɔ̃.py.ta/ 		computassions
/kɔ̃.py.ta.sjɔ̃/ 		computassiez
/kɔ̃.py.ta.sje/ 		computassent
/kɔ̃.py.tas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — compute
/kɔ̃.pyt/ 		— computons
/kɔ̃.py.tɔ̃/ 		computez
/kɔ̃.py.te/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 Only usable with preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, the past historic, past anterior, imperfect subjunctive and pluperfect subjunctive tenses may be found to have been replaced with the indicative present perfect, indicative pluperfect, present subjunctive and past subjunctive tenses respectively (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English computer.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /komˈpju.ter/, [komˈpjuːt̪er̺]
  • Audio
    		(file)
  • Stress: compùter
  • Hyphenation: com‧pu‧ter

Noun[edit]

computer m (invariable)

  1. computer (calculating device)

Latin[edit]

Verb[edit]

computer

  1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of computō

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English computer.

Noun[edit]

computer n (plural computere)

  1. computer

Related terms[edit]

See also[edit]

Romansch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English computer.

Noun[edit]

computer m (plural computers)

  1. computer

Synonyms[edit]

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