'on-device' is a modern English compound formed from the preposition 'on' and the noun 'device', used in computing and consumer electronics to indicate locality of operation.

'device' entered English from Old French 'devis'/'device' (meaning an invention, plan, or contrivance), which in turn traces back to Latin roots related to dividing and devising; 'on' is an Old English preposition that has remained in continuous use.

Initially, 'device' referred to a plan, invention, or contrivance; in modern usage it commonly denotes a piece of hardware. The compound 'on-device' arose in recent decades to describe operations performed on that hardware rather than remotely.