Definition of "minicomputer" [minicomputer]

• A mid-sized computer, usually fitting within a single cabinet about the size of a refrigerator, that has less memory than a mainframe. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Around 1971, the work was moved to a Univac 1108 machine and then, in 1978, we were fortunate enough to acquire the first VAX/780 minicomputer from the Digital Equipment"
• "Back then a minicomputer was the size of a desk, whereas a microcomputer could fit on top of a desk."
• "He formed the Digital Equipment Corporation to manufacture and sell computer components, and then he built something radically different from what had existed before: a smaller computer called a minicomputer that interacted directly with the user."