cursor

American  

[kur-ser] / ˈkɜr sər /

noun

1. Digital Technology. a movable, sometimes blinking, marker that indicates the position on a display screen where the next character entered from the keyboard will appear, or where user action is possible.

2. a sliding object, as the lined glass on a slide rule, that can be set at any point on a scale.

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cursor British  

/ ˈkɜːsə /

noun

1. the sliding part of a measuring instrument, esp a transparent sliding square on a slide rule

2. any of various means, typically a flashing bar or underline, of identifying a particular position on a computer screen, such as the insertion point for text

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Etymology

Origin of cursor

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English in the earlier sense “runner, courier,” from Latin: literally, “runner, runner in a race, messenger, footman,” equivalent to cur(rere) “to run” + -sor, variant of -tor; cursor def. 2 was first recorded in 1590–1600 and cursor def. 1 in 1965–70; see origin at course, -tor

Example Sentences

One showed a “B,” for “benign,” when the doctor’s cursor isolated it with her mouse.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

In the late 1990s, neurologist Philip Kennedy developed the first BCI to allow a severely paralyzed patient to move a computer cursor using their brain.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

With the one finger he is able to move, he controls the on-screen cursor using a trackball.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026

A paralyzed Arizona man became the first human to receive the implant in January and has since moved a cursor, browsed the internet and played video games with this thoughts.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

The only sounds are the breathing of the dogs and clicking of the slide rule’s cursor.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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