noun
- a computer that is smaller and less powerful than a mainframe but larger and more powerful than a personal computer
Usage: computing; somewhat dated
Examples
- The university’s minicomputer handled data processing for multiple departments.
- Before personal computers became popular, many businesses relied on minicomputers.
- The minicomputer could support dozens of users simultaneously.
- Digital Equipment Corporation was a leading manufacturer of minicomputers in the 1970s.
- The laboratory used a minicomputer to analyze experimental data.
- Minicomputers filled the gap between expensive mainframes and simple desktop machines.