computer

Where does the word "computer" come from? It comes from Latin computare, and was adopted directly into English (1640s).

Computer’s story begins in Latin: computare meant “to calculate.” To calculate, to sum up, from com- (together) and putare (to reckon). It reached English by 1640s as computer. Originally meant a person who calculates, later a machine performing calculations. Today, computer means an electronic machine that processes data and performs calculations.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient computare "to calculate", to calculate, to sum up, from com- (together) and putare (to reckon).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1640s computer "a machine that processes data and performs calculations", originally meant a person who calculates, later a machine performing calculations.