- “Machine” originally meant “A complex device, consisting of a number of interrelated parts, each having a definite function, together applying, using, or generating mechanical or (later) electrical power to perform a certain kind of work” and underwent semantic narrowing to only refer to a personal computer, which is a type of “machine.”
Machine
noun; other word formation type
A personal computer, usually a laptop. Usually used by people who are really into computers or the computer science community.
Etymology : Borrowed from the Middle French “machine” which was borrowed from the Latin “machina,” which similarly referred to some sort of mechanical device.
Source : Project Partner: Do you want to do the comp[uter science] project on your machine or mine? (Conversation with project partner, 11/2/2019)
Last modified: 14 December 2019