Meanings
nounpersonal computer (plural personal computers)
plural personal computers
- A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).
Near-synonyms: desktop computer, microcomputer
4 more examples
He is working on an important project on his personal computer.
“There is no reason to suppose the average boy or girl cannot be master of a personal computer,” he said.
1962 November 3, John Mauchly, quotee, “Pocket Computer May Replace Shopping List”, in The New York Times, →ISSNMeanwhile the research center is nifty as ever. Virtuoso Peter Deutsch is working on interactive systems for secretaries. They're part way along on the Dynabook fantasy with a working personal computer the size of a breadbox.
1974, Stewart Brand, II Cybernetic Frontiers, New York: Random House, →ISBN, page 88Morse did confirm that the Amiga personal computer will have 128K of random-access memory (RAM) and a single 5¼-inch disk drive with 320K storage.
1984, InfoWorld, volume 6, number 13, page 13Synonyms: PC, desktop computer, microcomputer
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).
nounThe IBM Personal Computer.
nounA PC-compatible computer.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna small digital computer based on a microprocessor and designed to be used by one person at a time
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Often attributed to Stewart Brand (1974), but in use before (see quotations).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كَمْبْيُوتَر شَخْصِيّ
- كَمْبْيُوتَر شَخْصِيّ (kambyūtar šaḵṣiyy)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Bengali ব্যক্তিগত কম্পিউটার
- ব্যক্তিগত কম্পিউটার (bêktigoto kompiuṭar)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Bulgarian персона́лен компю́тър
- персона́лен компю́тър (personálen kompjútăr)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Chinese Cantonese 個人電腦 /个人电脑
- 個人電腦 /个人电脑 (go³ jan⁴ din⁶ nou⁵)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Chinese Mandarin 個人電腦 /个人电脑
- 個人電腦 /个人电脑 (gèrén diànnǎo)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Czech osobní počítač
- osobní počítačsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Danish personlig computer
- personlig computersmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Dutch personal computer
- personal computersmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Estonian personaalarvuti
- personaalarvutismall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Finnish henkilökohtainen tietokone
- henkilökohtainen tietokonesmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
French ordinateur personnel
- ordinateur personnelsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
German Personalcomputer
- Personalcomputersmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Greek προσωπικός υπολογιστής
- προσωπικός υπολογιστής (prosopikós ypologistís)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Hebrew מחשב אישי
- מחשב אישי (makhshév ishí)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Hindi व्यक्तिगत कंप्यूटर, ज़ाती कंप्यूटर
- व्यक्तिगत कंप्यूटर (vyaktigat kampyūṭar)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- ज़ाती कंप्यूटर (zātī kampyūṭar)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Hungarian személyi számítógép
- személyi számítógépsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Icelandic einkatölva
- einkatölvasmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Indonesian komputer pribadi
- komputer pribadismall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Italian personal computer, computer personale
- personal computersmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- computer personalesmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- calcolatore personalesmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- elaboratore personalesmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- ordinatore personalesmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- computatore personalesmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- computiere personalesmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Japanese パソコン, ＰＣ (pī-shī)
- パソコン (pasokon)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- ＰＣ (pī-shī)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- パーソナルコンピューター (pāsonaru konpyūtā)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Korean 개인용 컴퓨터, 피시
- 개인용 컴퓨터 (gaeinyong keompyuteo)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- 피시 (pisi)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Latvian personālais dators
- personālais datorssmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Lithuanian asmeninis kompiuteris
- asmeninis kompiuterissmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Malay komputer peribadi
- komputer peribadismall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Norwegian Bokmål personlig datamaskin
- personlig datamaskinsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Polish komputer osobisty
- komputer osobistysmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Portuguese computador pessoal
- computador pessoalsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Romanian computer personal, calculator personal
- computer personalsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- calculator personalsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Russian персона́льный компью́тер, ПК
- персона́льный компью́тер (personálʹnyj kompʹjútɛr)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- ПК (PK)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Scottish Gaelic coimpiutair pearsanta
- coimpiutair pearsantasmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Slovak osobný počítač
- osobný počítačsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Spanish ordenador personal, computadora personal
- ordenador personalsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- computadora personalsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- computador personalsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Swedish persondator
- persondatorsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Thai คอมพิวเตอร์ส่วนบุคคล
- คอมพิวเตอร์ส่วนบุคคล (kɔm-piu-dtə̂ə-sùuan-bùk-kon)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Turkish kişisel bilgisayar
- kişisel bilgisayarsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Ukrainian персона́льний комп'ю́тер, ПК
- персона́льний комп'ю́тер (personálʹnyj kompʺjúter)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
- ПК (PK)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Urdu ذاتی کَمْپْیُوٹَر
- ذاتی کَمْپْیُوٹَر (zātī kampyūṭar)small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Vietnamese máy tính cá nhân
- máy tính cá nhânsmall computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
Cite this entry
APA
personal computer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personal%20computer
MLA
“personal computer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personal%20computer. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “personal computer,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personal%20computer.
Source: personal computer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.