Chipmaker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A company that designs or produces semiconductor chips, the tiny electronic components used in computers and other devices
2. A business that makes the integrated circuits found in electronics such as phones, computers and appliances
3. An enterprise engaged in fabricating microchips that power modern electronic equipment of many kinds

Etymology: Chipmaker is a transparent compound: "chip" plus "maker," and the "chip" half carries most of the history. The English noun "chip" comes from Old English "ċipp," a piece cut or chopped off a larger piece of wood, and it ultimately goes back to the same Germanic root as "kippōn," meaning to cut or chop. For centuries, a chip was simply a splinter, a fragment of wood or stone, which is why the word still appears in phrases like "chip off the old block" and "a chip on the shoulder." The "maker" half comes from Old English "macian," meaning to make or construct, which became Middle English "maken." The agent suffix "-ere" (Old English "-ere," from a Germanic suffix) produced "maker," a person or thing that makes something. Put together, a chipmaker is one who makes chips, and in modern usage that most often means a company that manufactures semiconductor chips.

Synonyms: semiconductor manufacturer