data processor
1
3.7
- noun
- /ˈdeɪtə ˈprɒsɛsər/
- Specialized
- In modern offices, a data processor automates the sorting and organization of large datasets.
Examples
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All data processors operate at exceedingly fine tolerances, so that any disturbance of the physical system will quickly be evident in the system's output.
Blog text (21) -
There is nothing supernatural or anti-materialist about any of this: once data from a range of different sources has been transduced into the system's codes, the data processor is able to manipulate it to achieve an unexpected but rational outcome.
Blog text (21) -
The new data processor significantly increased the speed of calculations in our computer system.
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As technology advances, data processors become faster and more efficient at handling complex information.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A machine that processes and stores information using programs
14
4.2
A small chip inside a computer that acts like its brain
5
3.7
A machine like a phone or laptop that handles information using the numbers 0 and 1
3
3.7
A machine like a computer or calculator that works with information
1
2.4
A machine that uses electricity to work with information and do calculations by itself
1
3.7
The main chip in a computer that does most calculations and controls other parts
1
4.4
A machine that does calculations by itself, like an early computer
1
4.0
A machine like a computer that stores and uses data
How Powerful
- Specialized
22
5.5
- Specialized
82
3.4
- Specialized
1
3.7
- Specialized
3
5.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is largely compositional: a learner who knows 'data' (information) and 'processor' will reasonably infer an entity that processes data. However, the specific legal sense (a person/company/service acting on behalf of a controller under data-protection law) and the possible ambiguity with the hardware sense of 'processor' make the exact meaning not fully predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Data processor comes from early computing rooms where large machines took piles of data like punched cards and numbers and acted as a processor to make reports. Picture a machine that eats raw information and gives out results — that's why the term means a device that automatically works on and changes data.