hourglass

Etymology

hour + glass

noun

  1. A clock made of two glass vessels connected by a narrow passage through which sand flows.
    After each game turn, invert the hourglass to reset the time limit for the next player.
    The sands of thy short life are spent this hour, / And no hand in the universe can turn / Thy hourglass, if these gummed leaves be burnt / Ere thou canst mount up these immortal steps. 1819, John Keats, “Canto I”, in The Fall of Hyperion
  2. (graphical user interface) A cursor, often shaped like an hourglass, indicating that the computer is busy.
    Coordinate term: (Apple) beach ball
    When I right click the desktop display to check Display Properties, it hangs and shows me only the hourglass instead of the display menu. 2002, Maximum PC (Winter 2002, page 16)

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