abacus meaning
abacus (plural abaci or abacuses) ( 1 obsolete) A table or tray strewn with sand, anciently used for drawing, calculating, etc. [Attested from around 1350 (1387) until around 1470.] Greek ἄβαξ itself is probably a borrowing of a Northwest Semitic, perhaps Phoenician, word akin to Hebrew ʾābāq (אבק), dust (or in post-Biblical sense meaning sand used as a writing surface). The preferred plural of abacus is a subject of disagreement, with both abacuses and abaci in use. The exact origin of the abacus is still unknown. Today, abaci are often constructed as a bamboo frame with beads sliding on wires, but originally they were beans or stones moved in grooves in sand or on tablets of wood, stone, or metal. A calculating table or frame; an instrument for performing arithmetical calculations by balls sliding on wires, or counters in grooves, the lowest line representing units, the second line, tens, etc. [First attested in the late 17th century.] I've heard merchants still use an abacus for adding things up in China.‎. noun, plural abacuses, abaci. [ab-uh-sahy, -kahy, uh-bak-ahy] /ˈæb əˌsaɪ, -ˌkaɪ, əˈbæk aɪ/ (Show IPA) 1. a device for making arithmetic calculations, consisting of a frame set with rods on which balls or beads are moved. 2. Architecture. a slab forming the top of the capital of a column. Origin of abacus. source code analysis. Source code analysis is the automated testing of source code for the purpose of debugging a computer program or application before it is distributed or sold. An abacus is a manual aid to calculating that consists of beads or disks that can be moved up and down on a series of sticks or strings within a usually wooden frame. The abacus itself doesn't calculate; it's simply a device for helping a human being to calculate by remembering what has been counted. We're excited that you have an opinion about the name Abacus. To rate names on Nameberry, please register for an account or log in to an existing account. You will receive an email (no more than once per day) summarizing any new mentions of Abacus on Nameberry. The abacus (plural abaci or abacuses), also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool that was in use in Europe, China and Russia, centuries before the adoption of the written Hindu–Arabic numeral system and is still used by merchants, traders and clerks in some parts of Eastern Europe, Russia, China and Africa. From Latin abacus, abax; from Ancient Greek ἄβαξ (ábax, “board covered with sand”), possibly from Hebrew אבק (āvāq, “dust”). 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.
Abacus is a table or tray strewn with sand, anciently used for drawing, calculating, etc.