Introducing Gadgets

A gadget (also known as a gizmo) is the name given to a small technological device or appliance that was designed to do something out of the ordinary. Gadgets are mostly found in entertainment applications, although they may also be used for household and security. In comparison, a 'device' is simply a tool or instrument used during a particular work to achieve the desired result.

Gadgets are generally considered to be more cleverly or unusually designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention, although there are now so many technical items of this kind that it's becoming impossible to tell where the boundary between a gadget and a device lies. A gadget is always a device; however, a device is not always a gadget. For example, a simple mobile phone might be called a device, whilst the latest smartphone, with modern applications and functions would be called a gadget.

The word 'gadget' was used by the Flying Corps during World War 1 as a slang term for invention.

The origins of the word 'gadget' trace back to the 19th century, where the word was used as a placeholder name for any technical item whose precise name one couldn't remember. Some sources cite its derivation from the French 'gagée', a small tool or accessory, or the French 'gâchette 'which has been applied to various pieces of a firing mechanism.