device

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English

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Etymology

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FromMiddle Englishdevis,devise,devyce,devys,devyse,fromOld Frenchdevisanddevise,[1]fromLatindīvīsus,past participle ofdīvidō(“to divide”).Doubletofdevise(noun).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/dɪˈvaɪs/,/dəˈvaɪs/
  • Audio(US):(file)
  • Rhymes:-aɪs

Noun

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device(pluraldevices)

  1. Any piece ofequipmentmade for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
    • 1949.Geneva Convention on Road TrafficChapter VI. Provisions Applicable to Cycles in International Traffic
      Every cycle shall be equipped with: [...] (b) an audible warningdeviceconsisting of a bell [...]
    • 2013June 1, “A better waterworks”, inThe Economist‎[1],volume407,number8838,page 5 (Technology Quarterly):
      An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Suchdevicesmimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.
  2. (computerhardware)Aperipheral device;an item ofhardware.
  3. Aprojectorscheme,often designed to deceive; astratagem;anartifice.
  4. (Ireland)Animprovised explosive device,home-madebomb
    • 1979,Stiff Little Fingers,SuspectDevice:
      Inflammable material is planted in my head / It's a suspectdevicethat's left 2000 dead
    • 2014September 3, Cliodhna Russell, “A viabledevicewas found in Cavan today, it has now been made safe”,inThe Journal:
      THE ARMY BOMB Disposal Team rendered safe a viabledevicein Cavan this afternoon.
    • 2014August 3, Louise Kelly, Conor Feehan, “Suspectdevicefound at shopping centre revealed as hoax”,inIrish Independent:
      The army bomb squad carried out two controlled explosions on thedevice.It was later found that the suspectdevicewas a hoax and not a viable explosive.
  5. (rhetoric)A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; arhetoricaldevice.
  7. (heraldry)Amotto,emblem,or other mark used to distinguish the bearer from others. A device differs from abadgeorcognizanceprimarily as it is a personal distinction, and not a badge borne by members of the same house successively.
  8. (archaic)Power ofdevising;invention; contrivance.
    • 1824,Walter Savage Landor, “King Henry IV and Sir Arnold Savage”, inImaginary Conversations of Literary Men and Statesmen,page44:
      Moreover I must have instruments of mine owndevice,weighty, and exceeding costly
    • 1976,The Eagles,Hotel California:
      And she said,
      "We are all prisoners here,
      Of our owndevice"
  9. (law)An image used in whole or in part as atrademarkor service mark.
  10. (printing)An image or logo denoting official or proprietary authority or provenience.
    • 1943United States Post Office Department.A Description of United States Postage Stamps / Issued by the Post Office Department from July 1, 1847, to April 1, 1945 [sic],USGPO, Washington, p1:
      Prior to the issuance of the first stamps, letters accepted by postmasters for dispatch were marked "Paid" by means of pen and ink or hand stamps of various designs. [...] To facilitate the handling of mail matter, some postmasters provided special stamps ordevicesfor use on letters as evidence of the prepayment of postage.
  11. (obsolete)A spectacle orshow.
  12. (obsolete)Opinion; decision.

Synonyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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computing—seeperipheral device
rhetoric: device—seerhetorical device

References

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  1. ^“dēvīs,n.”,inMED Online,Ann Arbor, Mich.:University of Michigan,2007.

Slovene

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Noun

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device

  1. inflection ofdevica:
    1. genitivesingular
    2. nominative/accusativeplural
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