Számolók

Számolók is a Hungarian term with multiple related meanings. Most generally, it refers to someone who calculates or performs arithmetic, i.e., a calculator in the sense of a person. It can also denote a device that performs calculations, though in modern usage this sense is less common for the plural form and more often expressed by words like számológép or kalkulátor. The word is formed from the verb számolni (to count, to calculate) with the agent-noun suffix -ó.

As a person, a számoló historically described professionals such as accountants, clerks, or bookkeepers who handled arithmetic, ledgers, and financial records. In larger organizations, banks, railway companies, and scientific institutions employed teams of számolók to perform calculations before the advent of electronic computers. The term can still appear in historical, literary, or bureaucratic contexts to refer to such workers, though contemporary language tends to use more specific titles like könyvelő (accountant) or számviteli szakember (accounting professional).

As a device, the term is largely superseded by számológép (calculator) or kalkulátor in everyday Hungarian. In older texts, however, számolók could referring to mechanical or early electronic calculation devices, especially before the widespread adoption of the word számológép.

In summary, számolók is a versatile term for both people who calculate and, less commonly today, calculation devices. Its use as a professional designation has diminished in favor of more specialized titles, while the device sense has largely been replaced by modern terminology.