Dictionary Definition
hardware
Noun
1 major items of military weaponry (as tanks or
missile)
2 instrumentalities (tools or implements) made of
metal [syn: ironware]
3 (computer science) the mechanical, magnetic,
electronic, and electrical components making up a computer system
[syn: computer
hardware] [ant: software]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- Metal implements.
- Firearm.
- Electronic equipment.
- The part of a computer that is fixed and cannot be altered
without replacement or physical modification; motherboard,
expansion cards, etc. Compare software.
- 1952: Hardware is the generally accepted colloquism for anything inside a computer other than an engineer. — Binary Arithmetic, R.L. Michaelson, in The Incorporated Statistician, vol. 3, no. 1 (Feb. 1952), pp 35-40.
- Fixtures, equipment, tools and devices used for general purpose construction and repair of a structure or object . Also such equipment as sold as stock by a store of the same name, e.g. hardware store.
Related terms
Translations
Metal implements
- Croatian: željezarija
- Czech: železářské zboží
- Danish: udstyr
- Finnish: rautatavara
- Portuguese: ferragens , quinquilharia
Firearm
- Czech: zbraň
- Danish: våben
- Finnish: tuliase
Electronic equipment
- Croatian: sklopovlje , hardver
- Czech: hardware
- Danish: maskiner p, maskinel
- Finnish: laitteisto
The part of a computer that is fixed and cannot
be altered without replacement or physical modification
- Croatian: sklopovlje , hardver
- Czech: hardware
- Danish: hardware , maskinel , isenkram (slang)
- Finnish: rauta (slang), laitteisto
- French: matériel
- German: Hardware
- Irish: crua-earraí m|p
- Italian: hardware
- Japanese: ハードウェア (hādowea), ハード (hādo)
- Korean: 하드웨어
- Norwegian: maskinvare
- Portuguese: hardware
- Serbian: sklopovlje, čvrstovlje, tvrdovlje, strojevina, tvrdotvorina
- Sindhi:
- Swedish: hårdvara
Fixtures, equipment, tools and devices used for
general purpose construction and repair of a structure or object
- Danish: udstyr , isenkram
- German: Eisenwaren
- Serbian: sklopovlje, čvrstovlje, tvrdovlje, strojevina, tvrdotvorina
- Catalan: maquinari
- ttbc Chinese: 硬件 (yìngjiàn), 硬體 (yìngtǐ) (Taiwan)
- ttbc Persian: نرمافزار (narmafzar)
- ttbc Korean: 기계설비 (gigyeseolbi)
- ttbc Polish: sprzęt
- ttbc Turkish: donanım
See also
Extensive Definition
Hardware is a general term that refers to the
physical artifacts
of a technology. It
may also mean the physical components of a computer
system, in the form of computer
hardware.
Hardware historically meant the metal parts and
fittings that were used to make wooden products stronger, more
functional, longer lasting and easier to fabricate or assemble. In
modern usage it includes equipment such as keys, locks,
hinges, latches,
corners, handles,
wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts, especially when
they are made of metal. In
the United
States, this type of hardware has been traditionally sold in
hardware
stores, a term also used to a lesser extent in the UK.
In a more colloquial sense, hardware can refer to
major items of military
equipment, such as tanks,
aircraft or ships.
hardware in Danish: Isenkram
hardware in Spanish: Hardware
hardware in French: Matériel
hardware in Luxembourgish: Hardware
hardware in Norwegian: Jernvare
hardware in Slovak: Hardvér
hardware in Thai: ฮาร์ดแวร์
hardware in Yiddish: הארדוועיר
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
appliances, armaments, arms, brassware, chinaware, clayware, components, computer, computer hardware,
computer unit, copperware, devices, dinnerware, durable goods,
durables, earthenware, electronic
brain, electronic computer, enamelware, fixtures, flatware, glassware, graniteware, hard goods,
hollow ware, housefurnishings,
housewares,
information machine, ironmongery, ironware, kitchenware, machinery, materiel, metalware, munitions, ovenware, silverware, sporting goods,
stoneware, tableware, thinking machine,
tinware, tools, tools and machinery, white
goods, woodenware