software

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

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɒf(t)ˌwɛə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔftˌwɛɹ/
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈsɑftˌwɛɹ/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf(t)ˌweː/
• Rhymes: -ɒftwɛə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: soft‧ware
• Homophone: softwear

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.
2. (military) The human beings involved in warfare, as opposed to hardware such as weapons and vehicles.

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

Related terms

Descendants

• → Amharic: ሶፍትዌር (softəwer)

Translations

See also

References

Anagrams

• forwaste, softwear

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsoftvɛr]
• IPA^(key): [ˈsoftvɛːr]

Noun

software m inan

1. (computing) software

   Synonyms: programové vybavení, (rare) programové prostředky

Declension

Derived terms

See also

• hardware

Further reading

• software on the Czech Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^cs

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

software m (uncountable)

1. software (encoded computer instructions)

   Synonym: programmatuur

Derived terms

Related terms

• hardware

French

Pronunciation

Noun

software m (plural softwares)

1. (archaic) software

   Synonym: logiciel

Further reading

• “software”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf.twɛr/, /ˈsɔf.twer/, /ˈsɔf.twɛ.ar/
• Rhymes: -ɔftwɛr, -ɔftwer, -ɔftwɛar

Noun

software m (invariable)

1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

Related terms

• hardware

References

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Noun

software m (uncountable)

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

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔft.wɛr/
• Rhymes: -ɔftwɛr
• Syllabification: soft‧ware

Noun

software m inan

1. (software) software (encoded computer instructions)

   Synonym: oprogramowanie

   Coordinate term: hardware

2. (technology) technical and organizational ideas

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• software in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɔftʃiwɛʁ, -ɛɾ
• Hyphenation: soft‧ware

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

Related terms

• hardware
• middleware

Romanian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Noun

software n (plural (rare) software-uri)

1. (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

   Synonym: soft

Declension

Related terms

• hardware

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

See also

• hardware

Further reading

• “software”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
• software | Diccionario panhispánico de dudas | RAE - ASALE
• algoritmo, software y hardware, cuatro claves de redacción | Fundéu Guzmán Ariza (fundeu.do)