trackball

[ trak-bawl ]

noun

1. a computer input device for controlling the pointer on a display screen by rotating a ball set inside a case.

trackball

/ ˈtrækəˌbɔːl; ˈtrækˌbɔːl /

noun

1. computing a device consisting of a small ball, mounted in a cup, which can be rotated to move the cursor around the screen

Word History and Origins

Origin of trackball¹

First recorded in 1975–1980

Example Sentences

First, the team designed a miniature virtual reality arena and displayed it on a screen surrounding a spherical treadmill, a bit like the trackball of a computer mouse.

From Science Magazine

It was all the other elements of the open-source trackball that appealed to me: Ploopy’s trackballs rely on a combination of relatively easy to source sensors and PCBs and a whole lot of 3D-printed parts.

From The Verge

The beautiful blue keyboard is saddled with a gigantic trackball.

From The Verge

For the uninitiated, a trackball is a pointing device similar to a mouse, except you use a tiny rolling sphere to move your cursor instead of moving the entire device.

From The Verge

It sounds similar to a laptop trackpad, but it worked closest to a trackball, designed to let you fling a cursor around your TV at the same speed you could with a regular mouse.

From The Verge