tabulator

American  

[tab-yuh-ley-ter] / ˈtæb yəˌleɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that tabulates.

2. tab.

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tabulator British  

/ ˈtæbjʊˌleɪtə /

noun

1. a device for setting the automatic stops that locate the column margins on a typewriter

2. computing a machine that reads data from one medium, such as punched cards, producing lists, tabulations, or totals, usually on a continuous sheet of paper

3. any machine that tabulates data

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Etymology

Origin of tabulator

First recorded in 1880–85; tabulate + -or ²

Example Sentences

The simplest was to place them in a slot marked “3” in the locked box beneath the tabulator, for collection and counting later at the county’s central elections facility in downtown Phoenix.

From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2022

She said that she is gathering information on voters who had to wait in long lines and those who may have experienced ballot tabulator malfunctions.

From Salon • Nov. 18, 2022

A brief, tense exchange flared when Woodall-Vogg opened a panel on one tabulator, bumping the power cord and inadvertently unplugging it.

From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2022

“If there are long lines at the location you’re at, or issues with the tabulator, if you would prefer to go to another location, you can do that,” Mr. Gates said.

From Washington Times • Nov. 8, 2022

The Hollerith tabulator was the work of Herman Hollerith, who incorporated the Tabulating Machine Company at the end of the nineteenth century.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel