Etymologically
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processor

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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