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software

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Software

English

Etymology

From soft +‎ -ware, by contrast with hardware (“the computer itself”). Coined by John Tukey in 1958.[1][2]

Pronunciation

Noun

software (usually uncountable, plural (nonstandard) softwares)

  1. (computing) Encoded computer instructions, usually modifiable (unless stored in some form of unalterable memory such as ROM).
    Hyponyms: see Thesaurus:software
    • 1958, John W. Tukey, "The Teaching of Concrete Mathematics" in The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 65, no. 1 (Jan. 1958), pp 1-9:
      The "software" comprising the carefully planned interpretive routines, compilers, and other aspects of automative programming are at least as important to the modern electronic calculator as its "hardware" of tubes, transistors, wires, tapes and the like.
    • 1995, Paul Niquette, Softword: Provenance for the Word ‘Software’:
      As originally conceived, the word "software" was merely an obvious way to distinguish a program from the computer itself. A program comprised sequences of changeable instructions each having the power to command the behavior of the permanently crafted machinery, the "hardware."
  2. (military) The human beings involved in warfare, as opposed to hardware such as weapons and vehicles.
    • 1989, Christopher Layton, A Step Beyond Fear: Building a European Security Community:
      The Americans have devoted their attention to the hardware of disarmament: Europeans can make a special contribution to the 'software' or human content of detente.
    • 1991, New York Magazine, volume 24, number 5, page 33:
      […] preview of horrific images to come, as the hardware stage of the war yields to the software — or human — stage.

Usage notes

  • Software is a mass noun (some software, a piece of software). By non-native speakers it is sometimes erroneously treated as a countable noun (a software, some softwares).

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → Amharic: ሶፍትዌር (softəwer)

Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ "[1]", How software got its name, 2000, the Economist
  2. ^ "[2]",John Tukey, 85, Statistician; Coined the Word 'Software', 2000, The New York Times

Anagrams

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Pronunciation

Noun

software m inan

  1. (computing) software
    Synonyms: programové vybavení, (rare) programové prostředky

Declension

Declension of software (hard masculine inanimate foreign)
singular plural
nominative software softwary
genitive softwaru softwarů
dative softwaru softwarům
accusative software softwary
vocative software softwary
locative softwaru softwarech
instrumental softwarem softwary

Derived terms

See also

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsɔft.ʋɛr/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: soft‧ware

Noun

software m (uncountable)

  1. software (encoded computer instructions)
    Synonym: programmatuur

Derived terms

French

Pronunciation

Noun

software m (plural softwares)

  1. (archaic) software
    Synonym: logiciel

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Pronunciation

Noun

software m (invariable)

  1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

References

  1. ^ software in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Noun

software m (uncountable)

  1. (Jersey, computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Pronunciation

Noun

software m inan

  1. (software) software (encoded computer instructions)
    Synonym: oprogramowanie
    Coordinate term: hardware
  2. (technology) technical and organizational ideas

Declension

Declension of software
singular
nominative software
genitive software'u
dative software'owi
accusative software
instrumental software'em
locative softwarze
vocative softwarze

Derived terms

adjective
adverb

Further reading

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Pronunciation

 
  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛh], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛh]
    • (São Paulo) IPA(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛɾ/, /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛɾ/
    • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛχ], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛχ]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛɻ/
 

Noun

software m (countable and uncountable, plural softwares)

  1. (uncountable, computing) software (encoded computer instructions)
  2. (countable, computing) a piece of software; program
    Vou instalar um novo software de anti-vírus. ― I'll install a new anti-virus program.

Derived terms

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Noun

software n (plural (rare) software-uri)

  1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)
    Synonym: soft

Declension

singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative software software-ul software-uri software-urile
genitive-dative software software-ului software-uri software-urilor
vocative software-ule software-urilor

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsoftweɾ/ [ˈsoft̪.weɾ], /ˈsofweɾ/ [ˈsof.weɾ]
  • Rhymes: -oftweɾ, -ofweɾ
  • Syllabification: soft‧ware

Noun

software m (plural softwares)

  1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)
    Synonym: programa

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Derived terms

Expressions

See also

Further reading

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