ˈbə:stə noun (Science
and Technology) A
machine for separating or bursting
continuous stationery (such as
computer listing paper)
into individual sheets.
Etymology: Formed by adding
the agent suffix -er to
burst; originally, a burster
was a
charge of
gunpowder for bursting a
shell.
History and
Usage: The
word has existed in the
technical jargon of
office machinery since the fifties, but has
only become widely known since the
advent of computers and listing
paper to
nearly all offices,
with the
attendant nuisance of separating
printout into pages. Users
who work through a
heavy load of fan-fold
may find that a 'burster'...is a
useful accessory. Susan Curran Word Processing for Beginners (1984), p. 45