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🔋 A battery 💻 A processor register
accumulator

accumulator

7.9
A part of a computer that holds temporary results during calculations
  • noun
  • /əˈkjuːmjʊleɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acumulador
  • The processor uses the accumulator to store the results of intermediate calculations during operations.

We're going to use the arithmetic accumulator as the means of remembering where we came from.

Examples

  • The coder contains an accumulator C to generate the compressed code word as well as an accumulator A to track the actual interval width.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The coder contains an accumulator C to generate the compressed code word as well as an accumulator A to track the actual interval width.

    Academic text (1998)

  • If I were to draw this accumulator as a state transition diagram, I would do this.

  • We're going to use the arithmetic accumulator as the means of remembering where we came from.

    Computerphile

  • Arrays of bits shuttled over internal communications paths, from one data accumulator to another.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • This allows the coder to generate a binary fraction of infinite precision with an accumulator of finite precision.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The register array not only serves as an accumulator for the incoming data, but also is used in the generation and accumulation of W0 through W79, as defined in the SHS standard.

    Academic text (1999)

  • In programming, the accumulator keeps a running total of values added throughout the function.

  • When executing arithmetic operations, the CPU frequently utilizes the accumulator to hold temporary results.

Synonyms

accumulator register
vsaccumulator
  • Specialized
7.9

A small storage inside the computer's processor that keeps calculation results by adding new numbers to old ones

has identical meaning but is the shorter single-word form

Compounds

accumulator register
  • Specialized
7.9

A small storage inside the computer's processor that keeps calculation results by adding new numbers to old ones

lead-acid accumulator
  • UK
4.8

A rechargeable battery with lead plates and acid used in cars and backup power

nickel-cadmium accumulator
  • UK
6.0

A rechargeable battery that uses nickel and cadmium to store electricity

nickel-iron accumulator
  • UK
9.0

A strong rechargeable battery made from nickel and iron that lasts many charges

Surface Forms

accumulator singular
accumulators plural

Morphology

accumulator = accumulate (transparent) = accumulate + or

In computing, 'accumulator' names a register that accumulates values; this is a clear instrumentive derivation from 'accumulate'.

Etymology

Accumulator comes from the verb accumulate, which means 'to heap up'. In computers, an accumulator is a place that keeps adding and storing numbers during a calculation, so it 'heaps up' the results as the computer works.