supercomputer

S1U1P3E1R1C3O1M3P3U1T1E1R1

noun

Any computer that has a far greater processing power than others of its generation.

OriginEnglish computer ← French computer ← Latin computāre →
Less commonScrabble 21
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Meanings

nounsupercomputer (plural supercomputers)

plural supercomputers

  1. computingAny computer that has a far greater processing power than others of its generation.

    Popular slogans and a bucket of paint / Supercomputer on a jolly crusade

    2026, “Opening Night”, Alex Turner (lyrics), performed by Arctic Monkeys
    2 more examples

    The gigaflop supercomputers of today are almost useless. What is needed is a teraflop machine...

    1992 March 2, Richard Preston, “The Mountains of Pi”, in The New Yorker

    But at the microlevel it consists of an unimaginable number of atoms connected by springy chemical bonds, all jiggling around at a rate that even our fastest supercomputer might envy.

    2007 November 18, Jim Holt, “Mind of a Rock”, in The New York Times

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*úp
  2. Proto-Indo-European*upér
  3. Proto-Italic*super
  4. Latinsuper
  5. Latinsuper-
  6. Englishsuper-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  9. Proto-Italic*kom
  10. Proto-Italic*kom-
  11. Latincon-
  12. Latinputus
  13. Latinputō
  14. Latincomputō
  15. Latincomputāre
  16. Frenchcomputer
  17. Englishcompute
  18. Englishcomputer
  19. Englishsupercomputer

From super- + computer.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan supercomputador
  • supercomputadorcomputer that has great processing power
Chinese Mandarin 超級計算機 /超级计算机, 超級電腦 /超级电脑
  • 超級計算機 /超级计算机 (chāojí jìsuànjī)computer that has great processing power
  • 超級電腦 /超级电脑 (chāojí diànnǎo)computer that has great processing power
Dutch supercomputer
  • supercomputercomputer that has great processing power
Finnish supertietokone
  • supertietokonecomputer that has great processing power
French superordinateur, supercalculateur
  • superordinateurcomputer that has great processing power
  • supercalculateurcomputer that has great processing power
German Supercomputer, Superrechner
  • Supercomputercomputer that has great processing power
  • Superrechnercomputer that has great processing power
Irish sár-ríomhaire
  • sár-ríomhairecomputer that has great processing power
Italian supercomputer, supercalcolatore
  • supercomputercomputer that has great processing power
  • supercalcolatorecomputer that has great processing power
  • superelaboratorecomputer that has great processing power
Japanese スーパーコンピューター, スパコン
  • スーパーコンピューター (sūpākonpyūtā)computer that has great processing power
  • スパコン (supakon)computer that has great processing power
Korean 슈퍼컴퓨터, 슈퍼컴
  • 슈퍼컴퓨터 (syupeokeompyuteo)computer that has great processing power
  • 슈퍼컴 (syupeokeom)computer that has great processing power
Polish superkomputer
  • superkomputercomputer that has great processing power
Portuguese supercomputador
  • supercomputadorcomputer that has great processing power
Romanian supercalculator, supercomputer
  • supercalculatorcomputer that has great processing power
  • supercomputercomputer that has great processing power
Russian суперкомпью́тер, супер-ЭВМ
  • суперкомпью́тер (superkompʹjútɛr)computer that has great processing power
  • супер-ЭВМ (super-EVM)computer that has great processing power
Slovak superpočítač
  • superpočítačcomputer that has great processing power
Spanish supercomputador, supercomputadora
  • supercomputadorcomputer that has great processing power
  • supercomputadoracomputer that has great processing power
  • superordenadorcomputer that has great processing power
Swedish superdator
  • superdatorcomputer that has great processing power
Thai ซูเปอร์คอมพิวเตอร์
  • ซูเปอร์คอมพิวเตอร์computer that has great processing power
Turkish süperbilgisayar
  • süperbilgisayarcomputer that has great processing power
Vietnamese siêu máy tính
  • siêu máy tínhcomputer that has great processing power
Welsh uwchgyfrifiadur
  • uwchgyfrifiadurcomputer that has great processing power
Cite this entry
APA

supercomputer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/supercomputer

MLA

“supercomputer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/supercomputer. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “supercomputer,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/supercomputer.

Source: supercomputer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.