calculator

[ kal-kyuh-ley-ter ]
See synonyms for calculator on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who calculates or computes.

  2. Also called calculating machine. a small electronic or mechanical device that performs calculations, requiring manual action for each individual operation.

  1. a person who operates such a machine.

  2. a set of tables that facilitates calculation.

Origin of calculator

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin; see calculate, -tor

Other words from calculator

  • min·i·cal·cu·la·tor, noun

Words Nearby calculator

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use calculator in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for calculator

calculator

/ (ˈkælkjʊˌleɪtə) /


noun
  1. a device for performing mathematical calculations, esp an electronic device that can be held in the hand

  2. a person or thing that calculates

  1. a set of tables used as an aid to calculations

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 calculator

calculator

An electronic device for performing automatic mathematical computations, usually controlled by a keyboard. Some are actually small computers, with limited memory, that allow the user to use simple programs.

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.