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Glite Dictionary
MicroVAX

MicroVAX

1 9.6
A small computer used in offices and labs in the 1980s and 1990s
  • proper noun
  • Archaic
: MicroVAX
  • The MicroVAX II was known for its reliability and was widely used in academic institutions during the late 1980s.
  • MicroVAX II

Examples

  • Many users appreciated the flexibility of the MicroVAX computers for running various applications in their work environments.

  • Thus, a total of 18 channels were recorded by data acquisition governed through the software of the microVax terminal.

    Academic text (1999)

  • A MicroVAX computer (Digital Equipment Corporation) connected to the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to which all other devices were also connected.

    Academic text (1999)

  • In 1985, Digital Equipment Corporation launched the MicroVAX series, which became popular in many businesses.

Surface Forms

MicroVAX main

Morphology

MicroVAX = VAX (semi-transparent) = micro + VAX

The name is transparently built as 'micro' + 'VAX', but it is a branded technical series name rather than an ordinary compositional noun.

Etymology

MicroVAX joins micro ('small') and VAX, the name of a well-known computer family from Digital Equipment Corporation often called DEC, so a MicroVAX is simply a 'small VAX' and therefore a smaller minicomputer.