DEVICE • DICTIONARY ONE.COM • Definition of Device

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/dɪvˈaɪs/ Listen

noun

Device n.

1.

That which is devised, or formed by design; a contrivance; an invention; a project; a scheme; often, a scheme to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice. "His device in against Babylon, to destroy it." "Their recent device of demanding benevolences." "He disappointeth the devices of the crafty."

2.

Power of devising; invention; contrivance. "I must have instruments of my own device."

3.

(a)

An emblematic design, generally consisting of one or more figures with a motto, used apart from heraldic bearings to denote the historical situation, the ambition, or the desire of the person adopting it. See Cognizance.

(b)

Improperly, an heraldic bearing. "Knights-errant used to distinguish themselves by devices on their shields." "A banner with this strange device - Excelsior."

4.

Anything fancifully conceived.

5.

A spectacle or show. (Obs.)

6.

Opinion; decision. (Obs.)

7.

Any artifactual object designed to perform an action or process, with or without an operator in attendance.

Synonyms: Contrivance; invention; design; scheme; project; stratagem; shift. Device, Contrivance. Device implies more of inventive power, and contrivance more of skill and dexterity in execution. A device usually has reference to something worked out for exhibition or show; a contrivance usually respects the arrangement or disposition of things with reference to securing some end. Devices were worn by knights-errant on their shields; contrivances are generally used to promote the practical convenience of life. The word device is often used in a bad sense; as, a crafty device; contrivance is almost always used in a good sense; as, a useful contrivance.

See images of 'Device'

Etymology of 'Device'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Device" Quotes from Famous Books

... have only one little talent, and I have no tall son.' Now it was not in nature that she could have had a son as tall as Somers, nor was that desire in her eyes. All civilization implies a good deal of farce, but this was a poor refuge, a cheap device; I was glad when it fell away from her sincerity, when the day came on which she looked into my fire and said simply, 'An attachment like ours has ...

— The Pool in the Desert • Sara Jeannette Duncan

... Templars took upon themselves vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. The Lamb, which became the device of the Seal of the Order of the Poor Fellow Soldiery of the Temple of Solomon, conveyed the same lessons of humility and self-denial as the original device of two Knights riding a single horse. The Grand Commander warned ...

— Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry • Albert Pike

... legitimate children of the late wife's or husband's parents. A marriage with a deceased wife's sister is now legal in Great Britain and the Colonies, and is recognized in most foreign countries. A common device with people within the prohibited degrees is to get married abroad, but such marriage is strictly speaking inoperative, and the children of such union are illegitimate. Practically, however, it is a matter of no importance, for when people live together and say they are married, ...

— Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology • W. G. Aitchison Robertson

... a house is always escaping of its own accord and its place is taken by air from the outside. Thus, the cracks around the windows and doors let bad air out and good air in; and, besides, most building materials are porous. These natural paths, however, must be supplemented. The simplest device for ventilation, which is also the best, consists in opening a window at the top and bottom. The width of the opening may be regulated so as to permit the air in the room to change without occasioning disagreeable drafts; if necessary ...

— The Prospective Mother - A Handbook for Women During Pregnancy • J. Morris Slemons

... having added some further remarks, closed the letter, and sealed it carefully with the signet ring of his employer, the Worshipful Master Thomas Gresham (the device on ...

— The Golden Grasshopper - A story of the days of Sir Thomas Gresham • W.H.G. Kingston

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