microcomputer

[mahy-kroh-kuhm-pyoo-ter]

noun

1. a compact computer, with less capacity and capability than a minicomputer, consisting of a microprocessor and other components.

microcomputer

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊkəmˈpjuːtə /

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: micro. a small computer in which the central processing unit is contained in one or more silicon chips

Word History and Origins

Origin of microcomputer¹

First recorded in 1970–75; micro- + computer

Example Sentences

Writing on X, Zelensky said "microcomputers for drone flight control are produced in the United Kingdom".

Read more on BBC

The total cost of equipment used to build the test unit in this study was approximately $5,000, Hua noted, mainly including the vehicle for $4,500, the heater for $200 and microcomputers for $100.

Read more on Science Daily

In a first for the microcomputer maker, the Pico is powered by a custom chip designed in house called the RP2040.

Read more on The Verge

Schlueter removed the pneumatic relays and the bundle of wires and replaced them with a purpose-built microcomputer and a few slim Ethernet cables.

Read more on Washington Times

When Bill Gates was a lad, for example, he wrote a Basic interpreter for one of the earliest microcomputers, the TRS-80.

Read more on The Guardian

Related Words

• disk drive 
• hardware 
• modem 
• personal computer 
• supercomputer