desktop

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /ˈdesk.tɒp/, US /ˈdesk.tɑːp/^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound, from English desk + top.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The top of a desk: 1873 in Etymonline, 1925 in Merriam-Webster.^[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective, suitable for use on a desk, it is recorded by 1952.^[2] As short for desktop computer it is from 1983, and desktop publishing from 1984.^[2] The working area of a computer screen, seen as a notional desk, is also called the desktop.^[5][6]

Timeline

• 1873 – the top of a desk.^[2]
• 1952 – desktop (adjective).^[2]
• 1983 – a desktop computer.^[2]
• 1984 – desktop publishing.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The top surface of a desk.
2. A computer small enough to use at an ordinary desk.
3. The main screen display of a computer, from which programs are run and windows opened.

Adjective

1. Designed for use on a desk or table.
2. Small enough to fit in an individual workspace.

Word family

• desktop publishing

Related words

• desk
• top
• laptop

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins