🇬🇧🇪🇸 abacus - ábaco : English Lesson

Meaning of "abacus" ("ábaco"), detailed definition, and a short video lesson below.

An abacus is a simple math tool that looks like a small fence made of beads on wires or rods. You slide the beads back and forth to help you count, add, and do other math problems. Before people had calculators and computers, many of them used an abacus to do their math quickly and correctly.

Watch and listen to this English flashcard to understand the word in more detail, with an easy example sentence.

I dropped my abacus and all the beads slid to one side, which is exactly how my brain feels on Monday.

If an alien saw my abacus, it would probably think humans play very boring bead games for fun.

The teacher asked who knew how to use an abacus, and my friend raised his hand and said, "I can shake it really well."

I invented “extreme abacus,” where you do math while the dog is trying to steal the whole frame.

The abacus is one of the oldest calculators in the world, and some experts can use it so fast it looks like they’re playing a bead piano.

Grandfather set an old abacus on the table. Lena touched the abacus beads and pushed one, then another, watching beads slide along thin rods. The abacus counted cookies: three then five. She smiled, moving beads faster on the abacus until all cookies were counted. Grandfather laughed; the abacus made learning warm and simple.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.