Dictionary

software en · NOUN

Pronunciation

/ˈsɒf(t)ˌwɛə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
(California) audio
/ˈsɔf(t)ˌweː/ (Australia)
/ˈsɒf(t)ˌwɛɹ/ (Canada, dialectal) of the US
/ˈsɑf(t)ˌwɛɹ/ (General-American, cot-caught-merger, dialectal) of Canada
/ˈsɔf(t)ˌwɛɹ/ (General-American) without the cot–caught merger

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Germanic *samþuz /*samftuz Proto-Indo-European *-yos Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Germanic *-jaz Proto-West Germanic *-ī Proto-West Germanic *samft(ī) Old English sōfte Middle English softe English soft Proto-Germanic *warō Proto-West Germanic *waru Old English waru Middle English ware English -ware English software Computing sense from soft + -ware, by contrast with hardware (“the computer itself”). Coined by John Tukey in 1958. The earlier sense of software to mean tangible products with a soft texture may have fallen out of common usage before the computing sense was created.

Meanings

(uncountable, usually) Encoded computer instructions, usually modifiable (unless stored in some form of unalterable memory such as ROM).
- Some software will only run on a particular platform.
- Cris “Space Rogue” Thomas, another ex-L0pht member who testified alongside Zatko that day, said that L0pht would do everything it could to get companies to collaboratively fix software issues the hacker group found. 2022 October 17, Sean Lyngaas and Clare Duffy, “How a 51-year-old celebrity hacker upended one of the world’s most influential social networks”, in CNN Business:
- 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." 1995, Paul Niquette, Softword: Provenance for the Word ‘Software’:
- 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. 1958, John W. Tukey, "The Teaching of Concrete Mathematics" in The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 65, no. 1 (Jan. 1958), pp 1-9
(uncountable, usually) The human beings involved in warfare, as opposed to hardware such as weapons and vehicles.
- […] preview of horrific images to come, as the hardware stage of the war yields to the software — or human — stage. 1991, New York Magazine, volume 24, number 5, page 33:
- 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. 1989, Christopher Layton, A Step Beyond Fear: Building a European Security Community:
(dated, qualifier:music industry, uncountable, usually) Recorded music content, as opposed to the hardware necessary for reproducing it.
- PLENTIFUL SOFTWARE Compact Disc already has support from the recording studios. Many familiar labels appear on these shining silver discs, so that a wide choice of music from the world's leading artistes is available. 1984, CD202 Slimline CD Player (Philips advertising brochure), archived from the original on 31 Dec 2025:
- It should be noted that there are industry observers who feel that the whole concept of individually owned music software could become obsolete, and that in the future no digital consumer medium will exist. Instead, the listener will pay for a cable service whereby he can call up musical selections from a vast central electronic memory—a sort of library of music. 1986, Daniel Sweeney, Demystifying Compact Discs: A Guide to Digital Audio, 1st edition, Blue Ridge Summit: TAB Books, →ISBN, page 161:
- There seems to be a growing trend towards endorsement of the C-DAD system by equipment manufacturers and "software" (recorded material) producers around the world. 1982 March, Len Feldman, “Digital Audio Disc”, in Radio-Electronics, volume 53, number 3, New York: Gernsback Publications, →ISSN, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2021, page 41:
- Software availability will probably be a significant problem for at least the first few months of the system's commercial life. At present there are only two CD pressing plants in operation, CBS/Sony's in Japan and PolyGram's in Germany. 1982 December, David Ranada, “Digital Debut: First impressions of the Compact Disc System”, in Stereo Review, volume 47, number 12, →ISSN, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2021, page 69:
- Anders als bei Videorecordern […] war mit Blick auf die völlige Abhängigkeit von vorgefertigter Musik-Software die Einführung gleich mehrerer neuer Tonträgersysteme nicht zu erwarten. 1996, Jürgen K. Lang, Das Compact Disc Digital Audio System, →ISBN, page 37:
- […] an extremely long playing time is achieved, which might be unnecessary from a software point of view 1979 December 6, Toshi T. Doi, Takashi Itoh, Hiroshi Ogawa, “A Long-Play Digital Audio Disk System”, in Journal of the AES, volume 27, number 12, pages 975–981:
(archaic, uncountable, usually) Soft goods, such as textiles.
- Drop into the first emporium you pass, whether of hardware or software, of dry goods or wet goods, and note how comparatively few of the articles displayed represent really original ideas 1914, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, volume 3, page 167:
- In fact, under the heads of hardware, software, and agriculture, the leading interests of the colony might be said to be grouped. 1889, Parliamentary Debates, volume 61, Victoria. Parliament, page 1404:
- We have wheat "kings" and cotton "kings" and coal "kings"; railroad "kings", stationary engine "kings", and Mr Ford; "kings" in the realms of hardware, software, sectional bookcases, crime, and canned tomatoes. 1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
softwares	Number=Plur	nonstandard	lexicographic
software	Number=Plur		lexicographic

Translations (157)

bg програ́мно осигуря́ване (encoded computer instructions) · nb programvare (encoded computer instructions) · sh со̏фтве̄р (encoded computer instructions) · ro soft (encoded computer instructions) · pt programa (encoded computer instructions) · lt programinė įranga (encoded computer instructions) · sh programska pòdrška (encoded computer instructions) · ia software (encoded computer instructions) · tg нармафзор (encoded computer instructions) · az PT (encoded computer instructions) · it supporto logico (encoded computer instructions) · ug يۇمشاق دېتال (encoded computer instructions) · kw medhelweyth (encoded computer instructions) · eo programaro (encoded computer instructions) · bo མཉེན་ཆས (encoded computer instructions) · tr yazılım (encoded computer instructions) · it programma (encoded computer instructions) · is hugbúnaður (encoded computer instructions) · ky программалык жабдылыш (encoded computer instructions) · tk programma üpjünçiligi (encoded computer instructions) · sh напудбина (encoded computer instructions) · vi phần mềm (encoded computer instructions) · mi pūmanawa (encoded computer instructions) · th ซอฟต์แวร์ (encoded computer instructions) · it software (encoded computer instructions) · gl soporte lóxico (encoded computer instructions) · id peranti lunak (encoded computer instructions) · sh programska pȍtpora (encoded computer instructions) · mi pūmanawa rorohiko (encoded computer instructions) · la programmatura (encoded computer instructions) · lo ຊອບແວ (encoded computer instructions) · de Software (encoded computer instructions) · sq softuer (encoded computer instructions) · el λογισμικό (encoded computer instructions) · nso softewere (encoded computer instructions) · ca programari (encoded computer instructions) · sv mjukvara (encoded computer instructions) · vi phần ứng dụng (encoded computer instructions) · km ផ្នែកទន់ (encoded computer instructions) · gd bathar-bog (encoded computer instructions) · uz dasturiy taʼminot (encoded computer instructions) · sh mekušje (encoded computer instructions) · io softwaro (encoded computer instructions) · my ဆော့ဖ်ဝဲလ် (encoded computer instructions) · pl software (encoded computer instructions) · be прагра́мнае забеспячэ́нне (encoded computer instructions) · af programmatuur (encoded computer instructions) · he תׇּכְנָה (encoded computer instructions) · yi פּראָגראַמוואַרג (encoded computer instructions) · ur مُصَنَّعِ لَطِیف (encoded computer instructions) · nl software (encoded computer instructions) · io programaro (encoded computer instructions) · cs software (encoded computer instructions) · scn software (encoded computer instructions) · fr programmerie (encoded computer instructions) · ru софтве́р (encoded computer instructions) · sh napudbina (encoded computer instructions) · es software (encoded computer instructions) · ka პროგრამა (encoded computer instructions) · kmr nermalav (encoded computer instructions) · ro software (encoded computer instructions) · vi nhu liệu (encoded computer instructions) · fi ohjelmisto (encoded computer instructions) · sh програмска по̀дршка (encoded computer instructions) · hu szoftver (encoded computer instructions) · fr logiciel (encoded computer instructions) · cs programové vybavení (encoded computer instructions) · sq softver (encoded computer instructions) · es soporte lógico (encoded computer instructions) · si පරිගණක මෘදුකාංග (encoded computer instructions) · id perangkat lunak (encoded computer instructions) · ro programe de computer (encoded computer instructions) · ru софт (encoded computer instructions) · sd منطقگري (encoded computer instructions) · sk softvér (encoded computer instructions) · fi tietokoneohjelma (encoded computer instructions) · tl software (encoded computer instructions) · ur سافْٹ ویئَر (encoded computer instructions) · be ПЗ (encoded computer instructions) · bg со́фтуер (encoded computer instructions) · sh programska ȍprema (encoded computer instructions) · uk ПЗ (encoded computer instructions) · sl programje (encoded computer instructions) · mk програмска опрема (encoded computer instructions) · mn програм хангамж (encoded computer instructions) · da programmel (encoded computer instructions) · nan-hbl 軟體 /软体 (encoded computer instructions) · yue 軟件 /软件 (encoded computer instructions) · ky программалык камсыздоо (encoded computer instructions) · ms perisian (encoded computer instructions) · af sagteware (encoded computer instructions) · nn programvare (encoded computer instructions) · nl programmatuur (encoded computer instructions) · am ሶፍትዌር (encoded computer instructions) · fa-ira نَرْم اَفْزار (encoded computer instructions) · lmo prugramadura (encoded computer instructions) · ru со́фтвер (encoded computer instructions) · ar بَرْمَجِيَات (encoded computer instructions) · uk програ́мне забезпе́чення (encoded computer instructions) · th ส่วนชุดคำสั่ง (encoded computer instructions) · ka კომპიუტერული პროგრამა (encoded computer instructions) · bn সফটওয়্যার (encoded computer instructions) · ru ПО (encoded computer instructions) · pl oprogramowanie (encoded computer instructions) · yi ווייכוואַרג (encoded computer instructions) · mk софтвер (encoded computer instructions) · ko 무른모 (encoded computer instructions) · hy ծրագրային ապահովում (encoded computer instructions) · kk бағдарламалық жасақтама (encoded computer instructions) · ur سافْٹ وِئِیر (encoded computer instructions) · cmn 軟件 /软件 (encoded computer instructions) · aii ܬܲܚܪܸܙܬܵܐ (encoded computer instructions) · sh мекушје (encoded computer instructions) · ko 소프트웨어 (encoded computer instructions) · es programa (encoded computer instructions) · ia programmatura (encoded computer instructions) · sl programska oprema (encoded computer instructions) · lv programmatūra (encoded computer instructions) · hy ծրագրաշար (encoded computer instructions) · scn prugramma (encoded computer instructions) · hi सॉफ़्टवेयर (encoded computer instructions) · pt software (encoded computer instructions) · sh mekovlje (encoded computer instructions) · mt softwer (encoded computer instructions) · jv ꦥꦶꦫꦤ꧀ꦠꦶ ꦲꦭꦸꦱ꧀ (encoded computer instructions) · ga bogearraí (encoded computer instructions) · sw maunzi laini (encoded computer instructions) · ru програ́ммное обеспече́ние (encoded computer instructions) · ka პროგრამული უზრუნველყოფა (encoded computer instructions) · et tarkvara (encoded computer instructions) · ja ソフトウェア (encoded computer instructions) · km កម្មវិធី (encoded computer instructions) · sh mekotvorina (encoded computer instructions) · km សូហ្វវែរ (encoded computer instructions) · ja ソフト (encoded computer instructions) · sv programvara (encoded computer instructions) · lo ໂລຊີຊີແອນ (encoded computer instructions) · ar بَرَامِج حَاسِب (encoded computer instructions) · es sóftwer (encoded computer instructions) · fa-ira نَرْماَفْزار (encoded computer instructions) · sh програмска по̏тпора (encoded computer instructions) · sh sȍftvēr (encoded computer instructions) · sh мекотворина (encoded computer instructions) · ky программалык жабдык (encoded computer instructions) · cmn 軟體 /软体 (encoded computer instructions) · kk бағдарлама жасақтамасы (encoded computer instructions) · fi softa (encoded computer instructions) · tg таъминоти барномавӣ (encoded computer instructions) · az proqram təminatı (encoded computer instructions) · hy ծրագրակազմ (encoded computer instructions) · ky программалык жабдуу (encoded computer instructions) · hi क्रमानुदेश (encoded computer instructions) · sh мековље (encoded computer instructions) · sh програмска о̏према (encoded computer instructions) · cy meddalwedd (encoded computer instructions) · da software (encoded computer instructions) · za yonjgen (encoded computer instructions)

software en · NOUN

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Translations (157)