device
English meaning: Device
Definition
Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
Example
“There are a number of household devices in a kitchen such as a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, or an electric can opener.”
Another example: “Repetition is a common device used by poets for emphasis.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A very common, neutral noun for a piece of equipment made for a purpose ('a clever device', 'a mobile device'); also a rhetorical or literary technique ('a plot device') and a trick or scheme. Used in technical and everyday contexts alike.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Old French 'devis' (a plan, design), from Latin 'dividere' (to divide); in English from the 13th century.
Related Words
Common Collocations
- mobile device
- electronic device
- clever device
- safety device
- plot device
- handheld device
Word Forms
device (sing); devices (pl); devise (v)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
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