cursor
1. the sliding part of a measuring instrument, esp a transparent sliding square on a slide rule
2. Computing any of various means, typically a flashing bar or underline, of identifying a particular position on a computer screen, such as the insertion point for text
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
cursor
[′kər·sər] (computer science)
A movable spot of light that appears on the screen of a visual display terminal and can be positioned horizontally and vertically through keyboard controls to instruct the computer at what point a change is to be made.
(design engineering)
A clear or amber-colored filter that can be placed over a radar screen and rotated until an etched diameter line on the filter passes through a target echo; the bearing from radar to target can then be read accurately on a stationary 360° scale surrounding the filter.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
cursor
(hardware)A visually distinct mark on a display indicating
where newly typed text will be inserted. The cursor moves as
text is typed and, in most modern editors, can be moved around
within a document by the user to change the insertion point.
cursor
(database)In
SQL, a named control structure used by an
application program to point to a row of data. The position
of the
row is within a
table or
view, and the cursor is
used interactively so select rows from columns.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
cursor
(1) See database cursor.
(2) The symbol used to point to some element on screen. On Windows, Mac and other graphics-based screens, it is also called a "pointer," and it changes shape as it is moved with the mouse into different areas of the application. For example, it may turn into an I-beam for editing text, an arrow for selecting menus or a pen for drawing.
On DOS and Unix command lines as well as other character-based screens, the cursor may be a rectangle, an underline or a vertical line, and it is typically blinking. See text cursor.
(3) A pen-like or puck-like device used with a digitizer tablet. Officially called the "tablet cursor," as it is moved across the tablet, the screen cursor moves correspondingly. See digitizer tablet.Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.