abacus
abacus an oblong frame with rows of wires or grooves along which beads are slid, used for calculating; possibly a development of the classical counting board, it was widely used in Europe in the Middle Ages and is still used in some countries.
The word in this sense dates from the late 17th century; it is recorded in late Middle English, denoting a board strewn with sand on which to draw figures, and comes via Latin from Greek abax, abak- ‘slab, drawing board’, of Semitic origin, and probably related to Hebrew 'āḇāq ‘dust’.
The word in this sense dates from the late 17th century; it is recorded in late Middle English, denoting a board strewn with sand on which to draw figures, and comes via Latin from Greek abax, abak- ‘slab, drawing board’, of Semitic origin, and probably related to Hebrew 'āḇāq ‘dust’.
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abacus