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# slide rule

## noun

**:**a manual device used for calculation that consists in its simple form of a ruler and a movable middle piece which are graduated with similar logarithmic scales

## Examples of *slide rule* in a Sentence

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Indeed, the term itself appears to have been coined just after World War II, at which point shipbuilders were already doing it at enormous scale to lengthen warships, in some of the most complex engineering work ever attempted in the

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*slide rule*era. —*New Atlas*, 7 Sep. 2024 There’s no need to turn back the clock to the days of typewriters and*slide rules*, but our universities could benefit from prioritizing good old-fashioned interaction. —Aden Barton,*Washington Post*, 9 July 2024 McNeil continued to yell at second base umpire Jonathan Parra while the Mets challenged the force out call for a*slide rule*violation. —Abbey Mastracco,*New York Daily News*, 29 Mar. 2024 As typewriters once symbolized the writer,*slide rules*symbolized the engineer. —Alex Traub,*New York Times*, 10 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for*slide rule*## Word History

First Known Use

1663, in the meaning defined above

## Articles Related to *slide rule*

## Dictionary Entries Near *slide rule*

## Cite this Entry

“Slide rule.” *Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary*, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slide%20rule. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

## Kids Definition

slide rule

noun**:**an instrument used for calculation that in its simple form consists of a ruler with a movable middle piece

## More from Merriam-Webster on *slide rule*

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about *slide rule*

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