Etymologically
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desktop

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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