Retronym
Updated: 12/31/2022 by Computer Hope
A retronym describes something old (retro) that once did not need a description. For example, snail mail is a retronym that describes "postal mail" which used to be the only way to send mail. However, today with e-mail (electronic mail) needs an extra description to help differentiate from the old form of mail.
Examples of computer retronyms
Below are some additional examples of computer-related retronyms.
- 2D
- AM radio
- Analog clock
- Computer virus
- F2F (face to face)
- Feature phone
- Film camera
- Forward slash
- Handwritten
- Hard copy
- Hard disk (before floppy disks all computer-related disks were hard.)
- Human computer
- iPod classic
- Landline
- LED (light-emitting diode) mouse
- Mainframe computer
- Manual typewriters
- Mechanical disk (before flash drives and SSD (solid-state drive) all drives were mechanical.)
- Mechanical mouse
- Natural language
- Offline (when describing meeting someone face to face in the real life.)
- Optical zoom
- Paper book
- PATA (Parallel AT Attachment)
- Plain text
- POTS (plain old telephone system)
- Real mode
- RL (real-life)
- Short file name