GPU

¹

or G.P.U.

[ gey-pey-oo, jee-pee-yoo ]

abbreviation for

1. (in the Soviet Union) the secret-police organization (1922–23) functioning under the NKVD.

GPU

²

abbreviation for

1. General Postal Union. See Universal Postal Union.

GPU

³

abbreviation for

, Computers.

1. graphics processing unit: a secondary processor usually dedicated to performing the calculations necessary for producing computer graphics, lessening the burden on the main processor.

GPU

abbreviation for

1. State Political Administration; the Soviet police and secret police from 1922 to 1923

Word History and Origins

Origin of GPU¹

From Russian G(osudárstvennoe) p(olitícheskoe) u(pravlénie) “state political directorate”

Origin of GPU²

First recorded in 1970–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of GPU¹

from Russian Gosudarstvennoye politicheskoye upravlenie

Example Sentences

Those five million pixels suck up some serious GPU (graphics processor) time, which in turn, sucks up battery power.

From The Daily Beast