cursor
cursor Lexical Profile
cursor Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A movable indicator on a computer screen identifying the point that will be affected by input from the user, such as where typed text will be inserted or where a mouse click will act.
"Move the cursor to the top right corner of the screen and click the close button."
In database management, a control structure that enables traversal over the records in a database result set.
"The developer used a database cursor to iterate through the query results row by row."
A transparent slide engraved with a hairline that moves along the scale of a slide rule or similar measuring instrument to aid in reading figures.
"The engineer carefully aligned the hairline on the slide rule's cursor to read the logarithmic value."
• Rhymes for cursor
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cursor, meaning 'runner' or 'messenger', from currere ('to run'). It originally referred to a sliding part of mathematical instruments like a slide rule before being adopted for computer screens in the mid-20th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.