hardware
UK /ˈhɑːdˌwɛə/ · US /ˈhɑɹdˌwɛɹ/ noun
- noun Fixtures, equipment, fasteners, 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. “He needed a hammer, nails, screws, nuts, bolts and other assorted hardware, so he went to the hardware store.”
- noun (informal) Equipment. “military hardware”
- noun (computing) The part of a computer that is fixed and cannot be altered without replacement or physical modification; motherboard, expansion cards, etc.
- noun (technology) Electronic equipment.
- noun Metal implements. “The designers have put their logo on the hardware of this bag here.”
- noun (slang) A firearm.
- noun (slang) Medals or trophies.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English hardware; equivalent to hard + -ware; attested since the mid-15th century.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “hardware”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details