mechanical mouse

English

Etymology

Retronym for mouse, coined after the invention of the optical mouse to refer specifically to the type of mouse existing before then.

Noun

mechanical mouse (plural mechanical mice)

1. (computing) A pointing device which uses a ball to detect movement.

Synonyms

• roller-ball mouse

Antonyms

• optical mouse

References

• page 309, Visual Effects in a Digital World, Karen E. Goulekas, 2001.
• page 398, Dictionary of Information Technology, Ramesh Bangia, Firewall Media, 2007