gadget

[gaj-it] /ˈgædʒ ɪt/
noun
1.
a mechanical contrivance or device; any ingenious article.
Origin
1850-55; origin uncertain; compare French gâchette the catch of a lock, sear of a gunlock
Related forms
gadgety
[gaj-i-tee] /ˈgædʒ ɪ ti/ (Show IPA), adjective
Synonyms
contraption; whatsis, doohickey, thingamajig.
Examples from the web for gadget
  • It was the ideal dance for the transistorized age, converting the body itself into a novelty device-a nifty gadget.
  • Anyone who is trying to authenticate your research will now have to buy some gadget.
  • One of its first projects is to design a laser-based gadget that can diagnose the condition of crops.
  • But conductive materials aren't enough to make an electronic gadget work.
  • The gadget compiles the info by aggregating search queries for the virus geographically.
  • In these days of always-on devices, there's nothing worse than a dead gadget.
  • They've got those headphones in their ears and a gadget in every hand.
  • No other gadget you can carry in your bag is as valuable.
  • Each manufacturer has its own guidelines, so read the manual before using this on any gadget.
  • Everybody on the subway is fooling around with some electronic gadget and missing their stop.
British Dictionary definitions for gadget

gadget

/ˈɡædʒɪt/
noun
1.
a small mechanical device or appliance
2.
any object that is interesting for its ingenuity or novelty rather than for its practical use
Derived Forms
gadgety, adjective
Word Origin
C19: perhaps from French gâchette lock catch, trigger, diminutive of gâche staple
Word Origin and History for gadget
n.

1886, gadjet (but said to date back to 1850s), sailors' slang word for any small mechanical thing or part of a ship for which they lacked, or forgot, a name; perhaps from French gâchette "catchpiece of a mechanism" (15c.), diminutive of gâche "staple of a lock."