Toolbar

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtuːl.bɑː/

Definitions

1. A horizontal or vertical strip in a software window containing clickable icons or buttons that perform various functions
2. An on-screen panel in applications that provides quick access to commands and tools via buttons or menus
3. A user interface feature that displays a set of controls or shortcuts, usually arranged in rows or columns, to facilitate user actions

Etymology: "Toolbar" is about as transparent as compounds get: it joins "tool" and "bar," two English words that have been around for centuries. A tool is an implement held in the hand, from Old English "tōl," while a bar is a long, rigid strip, from Middle English "barre." Put together, the term describes a strip that holds tools. The strip image is the key to the word's logic. Long before computers, a workshop's bar or rack held implements within reach, and the software sense transfers that idea to a row or column of clickable icons at the edge of a window. The compound was formed in the same way as many other English nouns built from a common word plus "bar," such as "crowbar" or "handlebar." The meaning moved from physical objects to on-screen controls, but the structure of the word did not change.

Synonyms: menu bar, tool palette, control panel