hear it again

: a standard typewriter keyboard

Example sentence:
Jill was shocked to learn that in some countries instead of the QWERTY, people use keyboards with alternative letter placement.

Etymology:
The word "QWERTY" came into written use in the late 1920s. When typewriters first came out in the mid-1800s, the keys were in alphabetic order. Because there are lots of commonly used letters next to each other when keys are placed alphabetically, the machines would often jam. The QWERTY mixed up the keys to slow down typists so their typewriters wouldn't jam as much. You may be wondering where we got the word "QWERTY." Just look down at the first six letters on a typical keyboard and you will have your answer.