desktop

English

Etymology

From desk +‎ top.

Pronunciation

• enPR: dĕskʹ-tŏp, IPA^(key): /ˈdɛsktɒp/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): [ˈdɛskˌtɔp]
• (UK) IPA^(key): [ˈdɛskˌtɒp]
• (US) IPA^(key): [ˈdɛskˌtɑp]
• Hyphenation: desk‧top

Noun

desktop (plural desktops)

1. The top surface of a desk.

   Coordinate terms: benchtop, tabletop

2. (computing) A desktop computer.

   Coordinate terms: laptop, palmtop

   Laptops are often more expensive than desktops.

3. (computing) A personal computer, as opposed to computers for business or server purposes.
4. (computing, graphical user interface) The main graphical user interface of an operating system, usually displaying icons, windows and background wallpaper.

   I installed a new application and it added its icon to my desktop.

   • 1994, Linda Mui, Valerie Quercia, X User Tools, page 312:

     Important menus, such as the root menu or Workspace menu, are "pinnable," which means that you can pin them up and keep them on your desktop […]

5. (computing, graphical user interface, synecdochically) The wallpaper of this interface.
   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:desktop.

Derived terms

• crash-to-desktop
• crash to desktop
• deskbar
• desknote
• desktop calendar
• desktop mascot
• desktop organiser
• desktop organizer
• desktop picture
• desktop publisher
• desktop publishing
• multidesktop
• nettop
• nondesktop
• personal online desktop
• remote desktop
• virtual desktop
• webtop

Translations

the top surface of a desk

Catalan: escriptori (ca) m Chinese: Mandarin: 桌面 (zh) (zhuōmiàn) Finnish: työtaso (fi) German: Schreibtischfläche f Greek: επιφάνεια εργασίας (el) f (epifáneia ergasías) Hungarian: asztalfelület, dolgozóasztal/munkaasztal felülete Japanese: 机の上 (tsukue no ue) Korean: 탁상(卓上) (ko) (taksang) Malay: atas meja Polish: blat biurka m Russian: столе́шница (ru) f (stoléšnica) Sicilian: scannaturi m Slovak: stolová doska, pracovná doska Spanish: escritorio (es) m, sobremesa (es) f Thai: พื้นโต๊ะ Turkish: masaüstü (tr)

a desktop computer — see also desktop computer

Catalan: sobretaula (ca) m Chinese: Cantonese: 桌上電腦 / 桌上电脑 (coek3 soeng6 din6 nou5) Mandarin: 桌機 / 桌机 (zhuōjī), 檯式機 / 台式机 (táishìjī) or 枱式機 / 枱式机 (táishìjī), 台式机 (táishìjī) (mainland China), 檯式電腦 / 台式电脑 or 枱式電腦 / 枱式电脑, 台式电脑 (táishì diànnǎo) (mainland China), 桌上型電腦 / 桌上型电脑 (zh) (zhuōshàngxíng diànnǎo) (Taiwan), 桌面電腦 / 桌面电脑 (zhuōmiàn diànnǎo) (Taiwan) Dutch: desktop (nl) m Finnish: pöytätietokone German: Desktop-Computer m Greek: επιτραπέζιος υπολογιστής m (epitrapézios ypologistís) Hungarian: asztali számítógép (hu) Icelandic: borðtölva f Irish: ríomhaire deisce m Italian: calcolatore fisso m, computer fisso m Japanese: デスクトップコンピューター (desukutoppu konpyūtā), デスクトップ (ja) (desukutoppu) Korean: 데스크톱 컴퓨터 (deseukeutop keompyuteo), 데스크톱 (deseukeutop) Lithuanian: darbalaukis Malay: komputer meja Marathi: डेस्कटॉप m (ḍeskaṭŏp) Portuguese: desktop (pt) m, computador de mesa (pt) m, computador de secretária (pt) m Russian: насто́льный компью́тер (ru) m (nastólʹnyj kompʹjúter) Sicilian: carculaturi fissu m, computer fissu m Slovak: stolný počítač, desktop Swedish: skrivbordsdator (sv) c Thai: คอมพิวเตอร์ตั้งโต๊ะ Turkish: masaüstü bilgisayar Vietnamese: máy tính để bàn (vi) Volapük: tabanünöm

on-screen background

Arabic: سَطْح الْمَكْتَب (saṭḥ al-maktab) Azerbaijani: iş masası Catalan: escriptori (ca) m Chinese: Mandarin: 桌面 (zh) (zhuōmiàn) Czech: plocha (cs) f Dutch: bureaublad (nl) n, desktop (nl) m Esperanto: labortablo Finnish: työpöytä (fi) French: bureau (fr) m German: Benutzeroberfläche (de) f, Arbeitsoberfläche (de) f Greek: επιφάνεια εργασίας (el) f (epifáneia ergasías) Hungarian: asztal (hu), munkaasztal (hu) Icelandic: skjáborð n Indonesian: desktop Irish: deasc f Japanese: デスクトップ (ja) (desukutoppu) Korean: 바탕화면(畵面) (batanghwamyeon), 배경화면(背景畵面) (baegyeonghwamyeon) Macedonian: работна површина f (rabotna površina), работен простор m (raboten prostor) Polish: pulpit (pl) m, biurko (pl) n Portuguese: ambiente de trabalho m, área de trabalho (pt) f, desktop (pt) m Russian: рабо́чий стол (ru) m (rabóčij stol) Serbo-Croatian: radna površina f Sicilian: desktop m, scannaturi m, tàvulu di travagghiu m Slovak: plocha (sk) Spanish: escritorio (es) m Swedish: skrivbord (sv) n Turkish: masaüstü (tr) Vietnamese: hình nền

Adjective

desktop (not comparable)

1. Designed for use on a desk or similar piece of furniture.
2. (computing) Of an application or website, designed to be run or viewed on a personal computer.

   desktop browser

Derived terms

• desktop accessory
• desktop computer
• desktop environment
• desktop mascot
• desktop metaphor
• desktop publishing
• desktop toy

Translations

designed for use on a desk or similar piece of furniture

Hungarian: asztali (hu), íróasztali

computing: of an application or website, designed to be run or viewed on a personal computer

Hungarian: asztali (hu)

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English desktop.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛsk.tɔp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: desk‧top

Noun

desktop m (plural desktops, diminutive desktopje n)

1. (computer hardware) desktop computer
2. (graphical user interface) main graphical user interface of a system

Synonyms

• (main graphical user interface): bureaublad

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English desktop.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛsk.top/
  • Rhymes: -ɛsktop
  • Hyphenation: dèsk‧top
• IPA^(key): (proscribed) /ˈdɛks.top/

Noun

desktop m (invariable)

1. (computing) desktop (visible user interface)

   lo sfondo del desktop ― desktop wallpaper

Further reading

• desktop in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English desktop.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌdɛs.kiˈtɔ.pi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌdɛs.kiˈtɔ.pi/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˌdɛʃ.kiˈtɔ.pi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /dɛʃ.kɨˈtɔp/

Noun

desktop m (plural desktops)

1. (computing) desktop computer (computer of a size designed to be used on a desk)

   Synonym: computador de secretária

2. (computing) desktop (the main graphical user interface of an operating system)

   Synonyms: ambiente de trabalho, área de trabalho

Further reading

• “desktop”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “desktop”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English desktop.

Noun

desktop n (plural desktopuri)

1. desktop computer

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	desktop	desktopul		desktopuri	desktopurile
genitive-dative	desktop	desktopului		desktopuri	desktopurilor
vocative	desktopule			desktopurilor