- a device, usually electronic, that processes data according to a set of instructions. The digital computer stores data in discrete units and performs arithmetical and logical operations at very high speed. The analog computer has no memory and is slower than the digital computer but has a continuous rather than a discrete input. The hybrid computer combines some of the advantages of digital and analog computers
See also digital computer, analog computer - (as modifier): computer technology
- a person who computes or calculates
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2017
com•put•er /kəmˈpyutɚ/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2017- Computingan electronic device designed for performing operations on data at high speed: [countable]Computers keep coming down in price.[uncountable; by + ~]I did the entire project by computer.
com•put•er
(kəm pyo̅o̅′tər),USA pronunciation n.
- Also called processor. an electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Cf. analog computer, digital computer.
- a person who computes;
computist.
- 1640–50; compute + -er1; compare Middle French computeur
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
computer /kəmˈpjuːtə/ n
'computer' also found in these entries:
AFIS
- APEX
- ASCII
- AWACS
- Ada
- Aiken
- Algol
- BASIC
- BIOS
- Babbage
- Bluetooth
- C
- CAD
- CADCAM
- CAL
- CAM
- CAT
- CBT
- access
- access code
- accumulator
- acoustic coupler
- actionable
- add-in
- add-on
- address
- administrator
- adware
- affair
- air
- all-singing all-dancing
- alpha test
- analog
- analog computer
- analogous
- answerback
- antialiasing
- antilock brake
- antivirus
- applet
- application
- application program
- architecture
- articulated joint
- artificial intelligence
- artificial language
- assembler
- assembly language
- asynchronous
- audio response unit