Tooltips

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Informational pop-up displays that appear when a cursor hovers over an element to provide brief explanations or details about features or functions
2. User interface components that show short textual assistance or guidance linked to icons, buttons, or other interactive objects upon pointer placement
3. On-screen hints that reveal concise descriptions or helpful notes when a mouse pointer rests over a graphical item in software or web design

Etymology: "Tooltips" is the plural of "tooltip", and the singular was coined as a compound of "tool" and "tip". The original sense was a short hint attached to the small graphical icons on a toolbar, telling the user what each button would do. Microsoft introduced the term as "ToolTip" in the 1990s, and the word then spread from software interfaces into everyday use for any brief pop-up label that appears when the pointer rests over something. The plural form simply names more than one such hint, so the word carries its software origin with it: a "tip" in the older sense of a helpful suggestion, attached to a "tool" in the sense of an icon or control. Nothing in the word's history goes beyond that compound, so the meaning has stayed close to its first use.

Synonyms: hints, pop-ups, help bubbles