cursor

noun

cur·​sor ˈkər-sər 

-ˌsȯr

: a movable item used to mark a position: such as

a

: a transparent slide with a line attached to a slide rule

b

: a visual cue (such as a flashing vertical line) on a video display that indicates position (as for data entry)

Examples of cursor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Use your hands to move the cursor around and pinch your index finger and thumb to select. —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 12 Dec. 2024

Once Task View is open, click on a desktop session or float the mouse cursor over each of the desktops to get a preview of the open windows. —Ken Colburn, The Arizona Republic, 24 Nov. 2024

Meanwhile, Claude, the large language model (LLM) from Anthropic, is taking agentic AI to the next level with the beta stage of its computer use skills—from moving a mouse cursor around the screen to clicking buttons and typing text using a virtual keyboard. —IEEE Spectrum, 19 Nov. 2024

Navigating websites, moving the mouse cursor, and typing? —John Werner, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin cursor "runner, courier," from currere "to run" + -tor, agent suffix — more at current entry 1

Note: For cursor as agent noun of currere in place of expected *co(r)stor see note at course entry 1. As with other Latin deverbal derivatives, the zero grade ablaut of the past participle has been generalized with all suffixes ending in -t-.

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cursor

noun

cur·​sor ˈkər-sər 

: a mark (as a bright blinking spot) on a computer display screen that shows the place where the user is working