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touchpad

touchpad

5 3.4
A flat surface on a laptop you move your finger on to control the cursor
  • noun
  • /ˈtʌtʃpæd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : touchpad
  • The laptop's touchpad allows users to navigate the screen with a simple swipe of their finger.
  • multitouch touchpad
  • laptop touchpad
  • touchpad control

Yep, you are using say a mouse or a touchpad.

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Examples

  • And did anyone make any tweaks to the touchpad to make that work better?

    Blog text (23)
  • The NEMA 4 rated panel has a built-in mouse touchpad for cursor control.

    Academic text (1995)
  • You have your selection for touchpad settings.

  • So this guy has a keyboard and a touchpad built into it.

  • The data were recorded by an analyst using a touchpad.

    Academic text (1993)
  • And you have the touchpad here, which is also clickable.

  • There is even a touchpad so you don't have to type anything.

    Blog text (28)
  • As the analyst observed the performance on videotape, specific game events were entered using the touchpad.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Note that even the keyboard and touchpad are nearly complete clones of Apple's offerings.

    Blog text (33)
  • OK, it doesn't have a touch screen; it has a multi-touch touchpad, and it does have a keyboard.

    Blog text (4)

Synonyms

mouse
vstouchpad
146 1.8

A small device you hold and move to control the pointer on a computer screen

is a stationary finger-sensed flat surface, not a moved device
trackpad
vstouchpad
5 3.7

A flat touch surface on a laptop or tablet used to move the cursor

is the same touch surface but named differently across regions
computer mouse
vstouchpad
2 1.1

A small device you move by hand to control the pointer on a computer screen

is stationary and senses finger movement on a flat area rather than being moved

How Precise

touchpad
  • Specialized
5 3.4
touchscreen
  • Specialized
21 3.7

Surface Forms

touchpad singular
touchpads plural

Morphology

touchpad = touch + pad (transparent) = touch + pad

The meaning is directly the combination of 'touch' + 'pad' (a pad operated by touch), which learners can readily infer.

Etymology

Touchpad combines the common words touch and pad: a 'pad' is a small 'flat surface' you touch with your fingers to move the pointer on a computer. So the name simply describes the device—a flat area you touch to control the cursor.