abacus
noun
a device for making arithmetic calculations, consisting of a frame set with rods on which balls or beads are moved.
abacuses
-
pluralof abacus.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Much of the buzz around the subject in recent years has been about the development of powerful quantum computers which, the narrative goes, will make our fastest supercomputers seem like abacuses by comparison.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2025
Sports are represented in the form of tiny windsurfers and badminton shuttlecocks, and he has acquired some oddities, like helicopters, pencil stubs, abacuses and matchbooks.
From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2016
Behind him are displayed a 1,500-year-old sake pot, a vertical wall of abacuses and various objets d'art befitting a place walking distance from Little Tokyo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2015
A section of the exhibition devoted to educational toys includes abacuses, toy telephones, a child-size loom and kits for constructing machines, cars and buildings.
From New York Times ● Sep. 17, 2015
When Bailey was six and I a year younger, we used to rattle off the times tables with the speed I was later to see Chinese children in San Francisco employ on their abacuses.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
