light pen

American  

noun

Computers.

1. a handheld light-sensitive device used for pointing at characters or objects on a CRT in order to make or modify drawings or to indicate functions to be performed.

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light pen British  

noun

1. computing

   1. a rodlike device which, when applied to the screen of a cathode-ray tube, can detect the time of passage of the illuminated spot across that point thus enabling a computer to determine the position on the screen being pointed at

   2. a penlike device, used to read bar codes, that emits light and determines the intensity of that light as reflected from a small area of an adjacent surface

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Etymology

Origin of light pen

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Do you prefer the feel of a light pen or a heavy one?

From Washington Post

By contrast, the picture telephone and a demonstration of a light pen captured my imagination.

From Seattle Times

In an experiment, the pair asked users to try out the mouse alongside other pointing devices such as a light pen or joystick - and found that the mouse was the clear favourite.

From BBC

A middle-aged man playing with a light pen is not the Large Hadron Collider.

From The Guardian

Mili had come up with a way to photograph trails of light, and he wanted to shoot Picasso “drawing” in midair with a light pen — a process that would leave no trace except on film.

From New York Times