plotter
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An output device that draws graphs and other pictorial images on paper, sometimes using attached pens.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
plahterSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈplɑtɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
computing
An output device that draws graphs and other pictorial images on paper, sometimes using attached pens.
navigation
An instrument used to mark or find the position of a vessel on a chart.
A person who plots.
verb
To splash around in something wet; to dabble.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An output device that draws graphs and other pictorial images on paper, sometimes using attached pens.
Used this way, plotter is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technology
- Technical/specialist writing
- Business/professional
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.