processor

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɹəʊˌsɛsə(ɹ)/, /ˈpɹɑˌsɛsɚ/^[1]

Etymology

It is an agent noun from the verb process, formed with -or, in Latin form.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A person or machine that performs a process: 1909 in Etymonline and the OED;^[2][4] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1905.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Data processor is from 1957, and word processor and the kitchen food processor from 1973.^[2] In computing, a processor is a central processing unit, or a program that translates another program for the computer.^[6][7]

Timeline

• 1905 – processor (Merriam-Webster).^[5]
• 1909 – a person or machine that processes.^[2][4]
• 1957 – data processor.^[2]
• 1973 – word processor; food processor.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (computing) A central processing unit or microprocessor.
2. A machine or person that processes something, such as a food processor.

Word family

• microprocessor
• preprocessor
• coprocessor
• front-end processor

Related words

• procedure
• process
• procession
• proceed

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press