Meanings
plural personal digital assistants
- datedA hand-held computer, mostly used as an organizer.
Already, Sharp owns at least 60 percent of the market for personal digital assistants, or P.D.A.'s, with its Wizard line, ranking far ahead of Hewlett-Packard, Casio, Apple Computer and other competitors past and present.
1994 December 18, Laurie Flynn, “Sharp Unveils a New Breed of Personal Digital Assistant”, in The New York Times, →ISSN1 more example
The device, about the size of a fat paperback book, represents the most ambitious attempt yet by computer and communications companies to pool their resources in hopes of finally creating a market for what the industry calls "personal digital assistants."
[1994 September 28, Lawrence M. Fisher, “Personal Digital Assistant, Part III”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: palmtop
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA hand-held computer, mostly used as an organizer.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna lightweight consumer electronic device that looks like a hand-held computer but instead performs specific tasks; can serve as a diary or a personal database or a telephone or an alarm clock etc.
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 個人數碼助理 /个人数码助理
- 個人數碼助理 /个人数码助理 (go³ jan⁴ sou³ maa⁵ zo⁶ lei⁵)hand-held electronic organizer
Chinese Mandarin 個人數碼助理 /个人数码助理, 個人數位助理 /个人数位助理
- 個人數碼助理 /个人数码助理 (gèrén shùmǎ zhùlǐ)hand-held electronic organizer
- 個人數位助理 /个人数位助理 (gèrén shùwèi zhùlǐ)hand-held electronic organizer
Finnish kämmentietokone
- kämmentietokonehand-held electronic organizer
French assistant numérique personnel
- assistant numérique personnelhand-held electronic organizer
German Personal Digital Assistant
- Personal Digital Assistanthand-held electronic organizer
Icelandic lófatölva
- lófatölvahand-held electronic organizer
Japanese 携帯情報端末
- 携帯情報端末 (keitai jōhō tanmatsu)hand-held electronic organizer
Polish palmtop, komputer podręczny
- palmtophand-held electronic organizer
- komputer podręcznyhand-held electronic organizer
Portuguese PDA
- PDAhand-held electronic organizer
Russian КПК, карма́нный персона́льный компью́тер
- КПК (KPK)hand-held electronic organizer
- карма́нный персона́льный компью́тер (karmánnyj personálʹnyj kompʹjútɛr)hand-held electronic organizer
Swedish handdator
- handdatorhand-held electronic organizer
Turkish cep bilgisayarı, kişisel sayısal yardımcı
- cep bilgisayarıhand-held electronic organizer
- kişisel sayısal yardımcıhand-held electronic organizer
Cite this entry
personal digital assistant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personal%20digital%20assistant
“personal digital assistant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personal%20digital%20assistant. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “personal digital assistant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/personal%20digital%20assistant.
Source: personal digital assistant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.