adding machine
- a machine capable of adding numbers and sometimes capable of performing the other arithmetic functions of subtraction, multiplication, and division: such machines are now obsolescent, having been replaced in most applications by electronic calculators.
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Origin of adding machine
An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for adding machine
Historical Examples
But I could hug you for wanting to be a man, not an adding-machine!
The Book of SusanLee Wilson Dodd
These he read off to Speyer, who in turn pressed the proper keys on the adding-machine––an endless, tedious, irritating task.
The Wall Street GirlFrederick Orin Bartlett
To his marrow he was systematic; he was as definite as an adding-machine, as practical as a cash register.
QueedHenry Sydnor Harrison
adding machine
- a mechanical device, operated manually or electrically, for adding and often subtracting, multiplying, and dividing
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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