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Glite Dictionary
📱 A small device 📱 Small and portable
handheld

handheld

35 3.7
A small electronic device you hold and use with one hand
  • noun
  • /ˈhændˌhɛld/
translation icon : dispositivo de mano
  • At the same time, the handheld devices can identify peaks that the stationary monitors might miss.
  • use handhelds
  • phones and handhelds
  • laptops and handhelds

This one is dubbed Quote, the world's first modular handheld.

Examples

  • Elementary music education might include students using handheld computer devices alongside traditional classroom instruments.

    Academic text (2015)

  • He carried a small handheld device that allowed him to take photos on the go.

  • If it is necessary to use a handheld style, one needs to plan how to manage notes.

    Academic text (2011)

  • That whole product was developed by people within Apple who wanted to connect people through a handheld device.

  • Some of the subjects were given handheld GPS devices.

  • So you have more access to great teachers than ever before via YouTube and the little handheld devices.

  • High schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District use handhelds for student management and student safety.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Next up, you've got one of the more practical ones, a little mini handheld saw that flips out.

  • Next year, the question will be whether to replace the handhelds with cell phone/PDA combination phones.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Many teachers incorporate handheld gadgets like tablets into their lessons.

Compounds

handheld drill
3.3

A small tool you hold to make holes in wood or metal

handheld vacuum
2.6

A small portable cleaner you hold in one hand to clean small messes

handheld vacuum cleaner
2.9

A small portable machine that sucks up dirt from small areas

How Portable

smartphone
227 1.8
handheld
35 3.7
tablet
286 2.7
laptop
309 1.0

Surface Forms

handheld singular
handhelds plural

Morphology

handheld = hand + hold (transparent) = hand + hold

The meaning is directly recoverable from the compound idea of something held in the hand.

Etymology

Handheld comes from the simple words hand and held, meaning 'held in the hand'. As a noun, a handheld is a small device you can carry and use in one hand, which is why phones and portable game consoles are often called 'handhelds'.