arithmometer
|ar-ith-mo-me-ter|
🇺🇸
/ˌærɪθˈmɑmɪtər/
🇬🇧
/ˌærɪθˈmɒmɪtə/
machine for calculating numbers
Etymology
'arithmometer' originates from Greek elements via 19th-century coinage (French/English), specifically 'arithmo-' from Greek 'arithmós' meaning 'number' and '-meter' from Greek 'métron' meaning 'measure'.
'arithmometer' appeared in French as 'arithmomètre' and was adopted into English in the 19th century to name mechanical calculating devices (notably those by Thomas de Colmar), eventually becoming the English noun 'arithmometer'.
Initially built from roots meaning 'number' + 'measure' (i.e. an instrument for numbers), it came to denote a specific class of mechanical calculating machines used for arithmetic.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a mechanical calculating machine for performing arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), especially the 19th-century devices such as the arithmometer invented for commercial use.
The museum's collection included an original 19th-century arithmometer used in a bank for bookkeeping.
Synonyms
Noun 2
specifically, the patented machine developed by Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar (often referred to as the Arithmometer), a reliable commercial calculator that popularized mechanical computation in the 19th century.
Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar's arithmometer became a standard instrument in offices across Europe.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/10/15 10:35