Device definition
A thing devised; plan; scheme, esp. a sly or underhanded scheme; trick.
noun
A decorative design, figure, or pattern, as one used in embroidery.
noun
The definition of a device is a tool or technique used to do a task.
An example of a device is a telephone for the hearing impaired.
An example of device is a literary tool like personification.
noun
A contrivance, esp. a mechanical one, for some specific purpose.
noun
An ornamental figure or design.
noun
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(archaic) The act or power of devising.
noun
A design, often with a motto, on a coat of arms; heraldic emblem.
noun
A graphic symbol or motto, especially in heraldry.
noun
A plan or scheme for accomplishing something.
noun
(rhetoric) A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; a rhetorical device.
noun
(heraldry) A motto, emblem, or other mark used to distinguish the bearer from others. A device differs from a badge or cognizance primarily because as it is a personal distinction, and not a badge borne by members of the same house successively.
noun
Something used to gain an artistic effect.
Rhetorical devices.
noun
An invention, typically a mechanical object; a tactic or contrivance for the purpose of committing a deception or fraud.
noun
Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
There are a number of household devices in a kitchen such as a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, or an electric can opener.
noun
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(printing) An image or logo denoting official or proprietary authority or provenience.
noun
A contrivance or invention serving a particular purpose, especially a machine used to perform one or more relatively simple tasks.
noun
A literary contrivance, such as parallelism or personification, used to achieve a particular effect.
noun
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Any motto or emblem.
noun
leave to (one's) own devices
- To allow (someone) to do as he or she pleases:Left the child to her own devices for an hour.
- To force (someone) to cope or manage without assistance:Most people would die in the desert if left to their own devices.
idiom
leave someone to his own devices
- to allow someone to act independently or as he (or she) wishes
idiom
Other Word Forms
Noun
Singular:
device
Plural:
devicesIdioms and Phrasal Verbs
leave someone to his own devices
Origin of device
- Middle English from Old French devis division, wish and Old French devise design both from Latin dīvīsus, dīvīsa past participle of dīvidere to divide, separate divide
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- Old French devis, from Latin divisus, past participle of dividere (“to divide”), thus originally, when goods were being divided among people, a mark put on each item to say who was getting what.
From Wiktionary