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personal computer

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noun

a compact computer that uses a microprocessor and is designed for individual use, as by a person in an office or at home or school, for such applications as word processing, data management, financial analysis, or computer games. Abbreviation: PC

Origin of personal computer

First recorded in 1975–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for personal computer

laptop, workstation, minicomputer, clone, computer, mac, Macintosh, PC, microcomputer

Examples from the Web for personal computer

Contemporary Examples of personal computer

British Dictionary definitions for personal computer

personal computer

noun

a small inexpensive computer used in word processing, playing computer games, etc
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
personal computer in Science

personal computer

[pûr′sə-nəl]

A computer built around a microprocessor for use by an individual. Personal computers have their own operating systems, software, and peripherals, and can generally be linked to networks. Compare mainframe.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
personal computer in Culture

personal computer

A computer typically used in the home, office, or school. Also a generic term for a PC Microsoft® operating system.

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.