abacus

ab·a·cus  (b-ks, -bks) n. pl. ab·a·cus·es or ab·a·ci (b-s, -bk) 1. A manual computing device consisting of a frame holding parallel rods strung with movable counters. 2. Architecture A slab on the top of the capital of a column. [Middle English, from Latin, from Greek abax, abak-, counting board, perhaps from Hebrew 'bq, dust; see bq in Semitic roots.] Word History: The adjective dusty, with its connotations of disuse and age, might seem an appropriate word to describe the abacus, since this counting device was used for solving arithmetical problems in the days before calculators and computers. Originally the abacus was, in fact, dusty. The source of our word abacus, the Greek word abax, probably comes from Hebrew 'bq, "dust," although the details of transmission are obscure. In postbiblical usage 'bq meant "sand used as a writing surface." The Greek word abax has as one of its senses "a board sprinkled with sand or dust for drawing geometric diagrams." This board is a relative of the abacus with movable counters strung on rods that is familiar to us. The first use of the word abacus, recorded in Middle English in a work written before 1387, refers to a sand-board abacus used by the Arabs. The difference in form between the Middle English word abacus and its Greek source abax is explained by the fact that Middle English borrowed Latin abacus, which came from the Greek genitive form (abakos) of abax.

abacus

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abacus [ˈæbəkəs]

n pl -ci [-ˌsaɪ], -cuses

1. (Mathematics) a counting device that consists of a frame holding rods on which a specific number of beads are free to move. Each rod designates a given denomination, such as units, tens, hundreds, etc., in the decimal system, and each bead represents a digit or a specific number of digits

2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) Architect the flat upper part of the capital of a column

[from Latin, from Greek abax board covered with sand for tracing calculations, from Hebrew ābhāq dust]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	abacus - a tablet placed horizontally on top of the capital of a column as an aid in supporting the architrave tablet - a slab of stone or wood suitable for bearing an inscription
	2.	abacus - a calculator that performs arithmetic functions by manually sliding counters on rods or in grooves calculating machine, calculator - a small machine that is used for mathematical calculations

Translations

abacus [ˈæbəkəs] N (abacuses (abaci (pl))) [ˈæbəsaɪ] → ábaco m

abacus [ˈæbəkəs] [abaci] [ˈæbəsaɪ] (pl) n (= counting frame) → boulier m

abacus

n pl <abaci> → Abakus m

abacus [ˈæbəkəs] n (abacuses or abaci (pl)) [ˈæbəsaɪ] → abaco, pallottoliere m