- a mechanical calculating device consisting of two strips, one sliding along a central groove in the other, each strip graduated in two or more logarithmic scales of numbers, trigonometric functions, etc. It employs the same principles as logarithm tables
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
slide′ rule′,
- Mathematicsa device for performing mathematical calculations, consisting essentially of a ruler having a sliding piece moving along it, both marked with graduated, usually logarithmic, scales: now largely replaced by the electronic calculator.
- 1875–80 for current sense 1655–65 for earlier sense
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
slide rule n obsolete
'slide rule' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):