dock·ing station
(dŏk′ĭng)n.1. A device to which a laptop or notebook computer can be attached to provide easy access to a power supply and a collection of peripherals that are typically connected to desktop computers.
2. A plug-in device with built-in speakers to which a portable media player can be attached, allowing audio files to be played out loud. In both senses also called dock.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
docking station
n (Electronics) a device used to connect one appliance to another, esp a portable computer and a desktop computer, to make use of its external power supply, monitor, and keyboard, esp to enable the transfer of data between the machines
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
dock′ing sta`tion
n. a small desktop cabinet, usu. containing disk drives and ports for connection to peripherals, into which a laptop may be inserted so as to give it the functionality of a desktop computer.
[1990–95]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.