software
- 1Encoded instructions that tell a computer how to work, usually changeable unless fixed in permanent memory like ROM.
Like sheet music telling a musician which notes to play: the instructions, not the instrument.
The company released software to manage payroll and scheduling.
Most modern cars rely on software to control their engines.
UsageSay a piece of software or some software (not
incorrect: softwares).Similarprograms, applications, code
Oppositehardware
Note
The first use of software to mean computer programs is credited to mathematician John Tukey in a 1958 article. The word combines soft with -ware to distinguish changeable instructions from hardware, the machine itself. That pairing still does the work: hardware is the physical equipment, and software is what tells it how to behave. It is a mass noun, so standard English speaks of software, or of software issues, and treats the plural softwares as nonstandard.
Less common meaning
- 2Military personnel considered as the human element of warfare, in contrast to hardware like weapons and vehicles.
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
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Origin
John Tukey coined the word in 1958, combining soft and -ware to contrast it with hardware, the computer itself.