minicomputer

noun
mini·​com·​put·​er | \ ˌmi-nē-kəm-ˈpyü-tər How to pronounce minicomputer (audio) \

Definition of minicomputer

: a small computer that is intermediate between a microcomputer and a mainframe in size, speed, and capacity, that can support time-sharing, and that is often dedicated to a single application

Examples of minicomputer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For instance, in the early '60s, Bill Ninke, a researcher in acoustics, had demonstrated a rudimentary graphical user interface with a DEC PDP-7 minicomputer. Richard Jensen, Ars Technica, "Unix at 50: How the OS that powered smartphones started from failure," 29 Aug. 2019 Hear about biodigestors and their role in addressing global energy issues, and work as a team to build a minicomputer to monitor the conditions in your energy system. National Geographic, "Engineering and Robotics High School Workshop on the MIT Campus," 12 June 2019 From the early 1970s through the 1980s, companies like IBM , Digital Equipment Corp. and Apple used mainframes, minicomputers and eventually PCs to make companies—and the first technologically adept superstar workers—more productive. Christopher Mims, WSJ, "Where You Should Move to Make the Most Money: America’s Superstar Cities," 15 Dec. 2018 Smartphones are technically minicomputers, giving their owners the ability to download interactive apps and games in a push of a button. Popular Mechanics, "This Tiny Console Is a Great Gift for Retro Gamers," 7 Nov. 2018 Those minicomputer giants mostly failed to adapt to the PC and Internet revolutions, and the region wasn't able to nurture a new crop of technology giants to take their place. Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Massachusetts gives workers new protections against noncompete clauses," 21 Aug. 2018 Kim had earned membership in the all-powerful Communist Party through years of work helping to create North Korea’s own computers, including the Paektusan minicomputer, named for the mountain where Kim Jong-il was said to have been born. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, "The Plot to Free North Korea With Smuggled Episodes of ‘Friends’," 1 Mar. 2015

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'minicomputer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of minicomputer

1967, in the meaning defined above

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