adding machine

noun

1. a machine capable of adding numbers and sometimes capable of performing the other arithmetic functions of subtraction, multiplication, and division: such machines are now obsolescent, having been replaced in most applications by electronic calculators.

adding machine

noun

1. a mechanical device, operated manually or electrically, for adding and often subtracting, multiplying, and dividing

Word History and Origins

Origin of adding machine¹

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75