English

Noun

number cruncher ‎(plural number crunchers)

1. An accountant or other person who deals with the calculation of numbers as a profession.
2. (computing) A program or algorithm with a focus on numerical calculation.
   • 2001, C/C++ Users Journal (volume 19, page 38)

     Right above the database access layer sits a number cruncher that performs any calculations that a particular request may require, such as computing a standard deviation. In many cases, this layer just forwards raw numbers.