Abacus

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæbəkəs/

Definitions

1. A calculation aid made of rods with sliding beads, facilitating arithmetic operations and often used in educational settings
2. An ancient mathematical instrument with rows of beads on rods, designed to help users perform arithmetic tasks efficiently
3. A manual device consisting of a series of rods and movable beads, utilized historically for performing calculations and teaching arithmetic concepts

Etymology: The counting tool's name began as a plain word for a flat slab. In ancient Greek, "ábax" meant a slab, a board covered with sand for drawing, or a dice-board, and the Romans borrowed it as "abacus" for a sideboard or table with a slab at the top, a counting board, or a sand table. The slab was the original sense; the calculating came later. The sense of reckoning developed in Latin, where "abacus" also meant the art of arithmetic. English took the word in Late Middle English as "abacus," "abagus," or "agabus," and at first it could name both the counting device and the skill of working with it. The plural "abaci" follows the Latin form, though English speakers also use "abacuses." The word has a close relative in "abaque" and "abac," which came into English along a different path, making them doublets of the same Greek source.

Synonyms: calculator, counting frame, calculating tool, arithmetical instrument