Definition: chorded keyboard

A keyboard with a small number of keys that generates a letter or word based on the combination of keys pressed at the same time, similar to piano chords. Dating back to the mid-1800s, the first chorded keyboards were stenotype machines used by court reporters to quickly record the dialogue in a courtroom.

Over the years, various desktop and handheld chorded keyboards for computers have been devised to allow people to enter alphanumeric data with only one hand.

The Bat Keyboard

People with the use of only one hand can type on Infogrip's Bat keyboard by pressing keys like piano chords. (Image courtesy of Infogrip.)