hand calculator
- noun
- /hænd ˈkælkjʊˌleɪtər/
:
calculadora de bolsillo
- I once had a broken hand calculator that registered the astounding datum that five times five was twenty-five.
Examples
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The mathematics necessary for these comparisons has been reduced to addition, subtraction, and squares, so they can be done quite easily on a hand calculator.
Academic text (1999) -
He quickly calculated the total cost using his hand calculator.
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Students in the classroom used a hand calculator to do their math homework.
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For simple calculations, I always reach for my hand calculator instead of using my computer.
Synonyms
81
1.3
A small electronic device for doing math like adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
1
2.1
A small electronic device you can hold or carry in a pocket to do math
1
5.9
A machine for doing math, often mechanical or early electronic
A very small handheld electronic device for doing simple math
A device or app used for doing math
How Portable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'hand' modifies 'calculator' to indicate a calculator intended to be held or carried, so the sense 'small, portable calculator' follows from the constituents. This follows a common noun+modifier pattern (cf. 'handheld' or 'pocket calculator') and is cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Hand calculator names a small calculator you can hold in the hand. When tiny electronic calculators became common, people used this name to show they were 'easy to carry' in a pocket, so today the phrase means a small, portable calculator.