# external

Pronunciation: US say "ek-STUR-nuhl" /ɛkˈstɝ.nəl/; UK say "ik-STUR-nuhl" /ɪkˈstɜː.nəl/

## Adjective

1. Located on or forming the outside of something; on the exterior.
   - Simple: On the outside of something, not inside it.
   - _The building's external staircase was added during a later renovation._
   - _Rust had begun to form on the tank's external surface._
2. Provided or supplied by a person or organization outside the entity in question.
   - Simple: Coming from outside a group, company, or thing, not from inside it.
   - _The audit was conducted by external reviewers with no ties to the firm._
   - _The startup relied on external funding through its first two years._
3. Not intrinsic or essential to something; arising from outside factors rather than from its own nature.
   - Simple: Coming from outside something and not a real or needed part of it.
   - _Fame and wealth are external goods that contribute little to lasting happiness._
   - _The committee judged each entry on its merits, setting aside external considerations like the author's reputation._
4. In computing, located outside the main computer or its main memory, either as a separate connected device or as storage such as a disk or drive.
   - Simple: In computing, outside the main computer or its memory, such as a separate plug-in drive.
   - _He backed up his files to an external drive before reinstalling the operating system._
   - _The laptop supports two external monitors through its docking station._
5. Relating to or involving foreign nations or institutions rather than domestic ones.
   - Simple: About other countries and governments, not your own country.
   - _India's Ministry of External Affairs manages the country's diplomatic relations._
   - _The senator warned that external debt had grown faster than the economy itself._
6. Situated near or toward the surface of the body rather than deep within it.
   - Simple: On or near the surface of the body.
   - _Paramedics saw no external bleeding but suspected internal injuries from the crash._
   - _The external ear funnels sound waves toward the eardrum._
7. Having existence independent of the mind; belonging to objective reality rather than to thought or perception.
   - Simple: Real outside your mind, not just something you think or imagine.
   - _Skeptics question whether we can ever prove that external objects exist._
   - _The instruments were designed to record external conditions, not the observer's impressions of them._
8. Of a medicine or similar substance: intended for application to the outside of the body rather than for swallowing or injection.
   - Simple: Meant to be used on the outside of the body, such as on your skin.
   - _The pharmacist labeled the ointment for external use only._
   - _Many external antiseptics are toxic if swallowed._
9. Having merely the outward appearance or show of something; apparent rather than genuine.
   - Simple: Only looking like something on the outside, without being real.
   - _His external composure masked a growing panic._
   - _Their devotion was purely external, performed for the neighbors rather than truly felt._
11. Of students or programs: registered with a university and taking its examinations without being resident at the institution.
   - Simple: For students who take a university's exams but do not live or study at the university itself.
   - _He earned his law degree as an external student of the University of London._
   - _External candidates sit the same examinations as those who attend lectures on campus._

## Noun

10. Outward features or appearances of something, as opposed to its inner nature or essential character.
   - Simple: The outside look or surface details of something, not what it is really like inside.
   - _The new church cared less about the externals of worship, like robes and candles, and more about daily kindness._
   - _Voters often respond to externals such as posture, voice and dress more than to policy._
12. In programming, a variable or other name defined outside any function, often in another file of the program, and shared between the parts that use it.
   - Simple: In computer programs, a named value kept outside any one function, often in another file, so other parts can use it.
   - _The linker stopped with an error because an external declared in the main file was never defined anywhere._
   - _Each module lists its externals at the top, so readers can see which values come from other parts of the program._

## Origin

Medieval Latin externus, built on exter or exterus ("on the outside, outward") and meaning "outward, external," entered English in the late Middle English period.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/external (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).