Etymologically
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laptop

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 09:36. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈlæp.tɒp/ (UK); /ˈlæp.tɑp/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from lap and top, on the model of desktop.[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A portable computer: 1983, as noun and adjective, in Etymonline and the Historical Thesaurus;[2][5] MWU has 1984.[3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective, of a size and design convenient for use on one's lap, is from the same time.[3][5] Longman notes the fuller form laptop computer and contrasts it with desktop.[6]

Timeline

  • 1983 – a laptop computer.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A small portable computer with a screen and keyboard in one unit, light enough to use on one's lap.

Adjective

  1. Small and light enough to use on one's lap.
  • desktop
  • palmtop
  • notebook
  • lap

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
  5. ^ a b c Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  6. ^ Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (2009), 5th ed., Harlow: Pearson Longman