black box
noun
any unit that forms part of an electronic circuit and that has its function, but not its components, specified.
any comparatively small, usually black, box containing a secret, mysterious, or complex mechanical or electronic device.
Aeronautics. an electronic device, such as a flight recorder, that can be removed from an aircraft as a single package.
Automotive. a device in an electronic ignition system that generates electrical pulses.
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Origin of black box
First recorded in 1940–45
Words nearby black box
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for black box
black box
noun
a self-contained unit in an electronic or computer system whose circuitry need not be known to understand its function
an informal name for flight recorder
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for black box
black box
A crash-resistant steel container that holds instruments that record performance data in airplanes. The data are used to analyze the causes of accidents.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.