Trackpad

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A touch-sensitive surface used to control a cursor or pointer on a computer screen
2. An input device that allows users to navigate by using finger gestures on its flat surface
3. A pad often incorporated in laptops for users to manipulate the cursor without the need for an external mouse

Etymology: "Trackpad" is a compound of "track" and "pad", and it was coined by Apple Inc. for the flat, touch-sensitive surface on a laptop that stands in for a mouse. The two parts are old and plain. "Track" in the sense of a path or line traced across ground comes from Old French, while "pad" was used for a soft cushion or flat block long before computers existed. Put together, the name describes a flat pad that the finger follows along a track, moving the cursor across the screen. The word's novelty is its real story. Before it, laptops relied on a trackball or a pointing stick embedded in the keyboard, and no common term existed for a flat touch surface. Apple's name joined two familiar words to describe a new device, and the compound spread from there as other manufacturers adopted similar designs.

Synonyms: touchpad