hardware: Meaning and Definition of

hard•ware

Pronunciation: (härd'wâr"), [key]
— n.
  1. metalware, as tools, locks, hinges, or cutlery.
  2. the mechanical equipment necessary for conducting an activity, usually distinguished from the theory and design that make the activity possible.
  3. military weapons and combat equipment.
  4. a weapon carried on one's person: The rougher types were asked to check their hardware at the door.
  5. the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical devices comprising a computer system, as the CPU, disk drives, keyboard, or screen. Cf. software.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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