external

English Online Dictionary. What means external‎? What does external mean?

English

Alternative forms

• externall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Late Middle English, from Medieval Latin externus (“outward, external”), from exter/exterus (“on the outside, outward”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/, /ɛkˈstɜː.nəl/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɛkˈstɝ.nəl/, /ɪkˈstɝ.nəl/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/, /ekˈstɜː.nəl/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)nəl

Adjective

external (comparative more external, superlative most external)

1. Outside of something; on the exterior.
   1. (anatomy) Situated near or toward the surface of the body.
   2. (pharmacology, relational) Relating to or denoting a medicine or similar substance for use on the outside of the body.
2. Capable of being perceived outwardly.
   1. Having merely the outward appearance of something.

      Synonym: superficial

   2. Not intrinsic or essential.

      Synonyms: accidental, accompanying; see also Thesaurus:extrinsic
3. Provided by something or someone outside of the entity (object, group, company etc.) considered.

4. Relating to or connected with foreign nations or institutions.

   Synonym: foreign

5. Having existence independent of the mind.

6. (education) For or concerning students registered with and taking the examinations of a university but not resident there.

7. (computing, of a hardware) Not contained in the main computer.

   Synonym: peripheral

8. (computing, of storage) Using a disk or tape drive rather than the main memory.

Antonyms

• internal

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

external (plural externals)

1. (usually in the plural) The exterior; outward features or appearances.
   1. Inessential or superficial features.
   2. Outward appearance.
2. (programming, in the C language) A variable that is defined in the source code but whose value comes from some external source.

References

• “external”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “external”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Further reading

• “external”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “external”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “external”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.