Microcomputer Meaning
/mˈaɪˌkroʊkəmpjutər/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA computer designed around a microprocessor, smaller than a minicomputer or a mainframe.
nounA microprocessor that is based on a single chip.
Sentence Examples
The invention of the microcomputer revolutionized personal and business computing.
Students learned BASIC programming on a simple microcomputer connected to a small monitor.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The engineer connected a small ____ to the sensor to process data from the experiment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The development of the first ____ in the late twentieth century revolutionized how individual people worked and communicated at home.
Word Origin & History
From micro- + computer. First use appears c. 1956. See cite below.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In recent years, it had become the hallmark of the scientist, much as the stethoscope was that of the physician and the microcomputer that of the statistician."
— 1956 July 7, Isaac Asimov, Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, volume 11, New York: Fantasy House, page 9:
"The operation has installed nine Cygnet CoSystems, computerphones that send memos, letters, and even whole files from one microcomputer to another."
— 1985, Micro Communications:
"In time of course, things became more efficient, with newer machines which could cope with large amounts of data - the microcomputers had 64 kilobytes of memory; your mobile phone has vastly more capacity."
— 2021, Pat Manser, More Than Words: The Making of the Macquarie Dictionary, Sydney: Macquarie Dictionary, page 83:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The engineer connected a small ____ to the sensor to process data from the experiment.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The development of the first ____ in the late twentieth century revolutionized how individual people worked and communicated at home.