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Computer vs Precomputer - What's the difference?

computer | precomputer |

As a noun computer

is a person employed to perform computations; one who computes.

As an adjective precomputer is

before the availability of computer technology.

computer

English

(commons) (wikipedia computer)

Noun

(en noun)
  • (now, rare, chiefly, historical) A person employed to perform computations; one who computes.
  • * 1927 , J. B. S. Haldane, Possible Worlds and Other Essays , page 173
    • Only a few years ago Mr. Powers, an American computer , disproved a hypothesis about prime numbers which had held the field for more than 250 years.
  • * 2003 , (Bill Bryson), A Short History of Nearly Everything , BCA, page 116:
    • One Harvard computer , Annie Jump Cannon, used her repetitive acquaintance with the stars to devise a system of stellar classifications so practical that it is still in use today.
  • by restriction, a male computer, where the female computer is called a computress
  • A programmable electronic device that performs mathematical calculations and logical operations, especially one that can process, store and retrieve large amounts of data very quickly; now especially, a small one for personal or home use employed for manipulating text or graphics, accessing the Internet, or playing games or media.

    • Quotations

    * (English Citations of "computer")

    Synonyms

    * (programmable device that performs logical operations) automatic data processing machine, processor, 'puter (informal), box (slang), machine, calculator, portable computer, laptop * See also

    Hyponyms

    * (programmable device that performs logical operations) desktop, laptop * (a person employed to perform computations) computress (f)

    Antonyms

    * (a person employed to perform computations) computress (f) (when "computer" is used to represent the masculine form)

    Derived terms

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Related terms

    * compute * computation * computing

    See also

    * chip * data processing * desktop * hardware * laptop * mainframe * microprocessor 1000 English basic words ----

    precomputer

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Before the availability of computer technology.
  • *{{quote-news, year=2007, date=September 14, author=, title=More Help Needed for Tougher Times, work=New York Times citation
    • , passage=But they did not count the last three to six months of work history because in a precomputer age, those records were often unavailable. }}