software

See also: Software

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/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• 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.

   • 1995, Paul Niquette, Softword: Provenance for the Word ‘Software’:

     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."

2. (military) The human beings involved in warfare, as opposed to hardware such as weapons and vehicles.
   • 1989, Christopher Layton, A Step Beyond Fear: Building a European Security Community:

     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.

   • 1991, New York Magazine, volume 24, number 5, page 33:

     […] preview of horrific images to come, as the hardware stage of the war yields to the software — or human — stage.

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

• adware
• applications software
• biosoftware
• bloatware
• collaborative software
• docketing software
• firmware
• free software
• freeware
• hardware
• kitchen-table software
• libre software
• malware
• Microsoft
• microsoftware
• neurosoftware
• nonsoftware
• presentation software
• schlockware
• shareware
• softbot
• softlifting
• softmodem
• softography
• software archaeology
• software architect
• software architecture
• software configuration management
• software defined radio
• software deployment
• software engine
• software engineer
• software escrow
• software forge
• software framework
• software house
• softwareless
• software life cycle
• software lifecycle
• softwarematically
• software package
• software rot
• softwarily
• softwarization
• softworks
• spyware
• systems software
• telesoftware
• time-tracking software
• -ware
• wetware
• zombie software

 

Related terms

• firmware
• hardware
• software assurance
• software crisis
• software engineering
• software state
• vaporware

 

Descendants

• → Amharic: ሶፍትዌር (softəwer)

Translations

encoded computer instructions

• Afrikaans: sagteware, programmatuur (af)
• Albanian: softuer m, softver m
• Amharic: ሶፍትዌር (softəwer)
• Arabic: بَرْمَجِيَات pl (barmajiyāt), بَرَامِج حَاسِب m pl (barāmij ḥāsib)
• Armenian: ծրագրային ապահովում (cragrayin apahovum), ծրագրակազմ (cragrakazm), ծրագրաշար (hy) (cragrašar)
• Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܬܲܚܪܸܙܬܵܐ f (tāḳrizta)
• Azerbaijani: proqram təminatı pl, PT pl
• Belarusian: прагра́мнае забеспячэ́нне n (prahrámnaje zabjespjačénnje), ПЗ n (PZ)
• Bengali: সফটওয়্যার (bn) (śophoṭōẇyar)
• Bulgarian: со́фтуер (bg) m (sóftuer), програ́мно осигуря́ване n (prográmno osigurjávane)
• Burmese: ဆော့ဖ်ဝဲလ် (hcauhp.wail)
• Catalan: programari (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 軟件 / 软件 (jyun⁵ gin^6-2)

  Hokkien: 軟體 / 软体 (zh-min-nan) (nńg-thé)

  Mandarin: 軟件 / 软件 (zh) (ruǎnjiàn), 軟體 / 软体 (zh) (ruǎntǐ) (Taiwan)

• Czech: software (cs) m, programové vybavení
• Danish: software (da), programmel
• Dutch: software (nl) m, programmatuur (nl) m
• Esperanto: programaro
• Estonian: tarkvara
• Finnish: ohjelmisto (fi), tietokoneohjelma (fi), softa (fi)
• French: logiciel (fr) m
• Galician: soporte lóxico (gl) m
• Georgian: პროგრამული უზრუნველყოფა (ṗrogramuli uzrunvelq̇opa), კომპიუტერული პროგრამა (ḳomṗiuṭeruli ṗrograma), პროგრამა (ṗrograma)
• German: Software (de) f
• Greek: λογισμικό (el) n (logismikó)
• Hebrew: תוכנה \ תׇּכְנָה f (tokhná)
• Hindi: सॉफ़्टवेयर m (sŏfṭaveyar), क्रमानुदेश m (kramānudeś)
• Hungarian: szoftver (hu)
• Icelandic: hugbúnaður m
• Ido: softwaro (io), programaro
• Indonesian: perangkat lunak (id), peranti lunak (id)
• Interlingua: software, programmatura
• Irish: bogearraí m pl
• Italian: software (it) m, programma (it) m, supporto logico m
• Japanese: ソフトウェア (ja) (sofutowea), ソフト (ja) (sofuto)
• Javanese: ꦥꦶꦫꦤ꧀ꦠꦶ ꦲꦭꦸꦱ꧀ (piranti halus)
• Kazakh: бағдарламалық жасақтама (kk) (bağdarlamalyq jasaqtama), бағдарлама жасақтамасы (bağdarlama jasaqtamasy)
• Khmer: ផ្នែកទន់ (phnaek tŭən), សូហ្វវែរ (soufvae)
• Korean: 소프트웨어 (ko) (sopeuteuweeo), 무른모 (mureunmo)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: nermalav (ku) f

• Kyrgyz: программалык жабдык (programmalık jabdık), программалык жабдуу (programmalık jabduu), программалык камсыздоо (programmalık kamsızdoo), программалык жабдылыш (programmalık jabdılış)
• Lao: ໂລຊີຊີແອນ (lō sī sī ʼǣn), ຊອບແວ (sǭp wǣ)
• Latin: programmatura f
• Latvian: programmatūra f
• Lithuanian: programinė įranga (lt) f
• Lombard: prugramadura ?
• Macedonian: софтвер m (softver), програмска опрема f (programska oprema)
• Malay: perisian (ms)
• Maltese: softwer m
• Maori: pūmanawa, pūmanawa rorohiko
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: програм хангамж (program xangamž)

• Northern Sotho: softewere
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: programvare (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: programvare f

• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: نَرْم اَفْزار (narm afzâr), نَرْم‌اَفْزار (narm-afzâr)

• Polish: oprogramowanie (pl) n, software (pl) m
• Portuguese: software (pt) m, programa (pt) m
• Romanian: software (ro) n, programe de computer n, soft (ro) n
• Russian: програ́ммное обеспече́ние (ru) n (prográmmnoje obespečénije), софтве́р (ru) m (softvɛ́r), со́фтвер (ru) m (sóftvɛr), ПО (ru) n (PO), софт (ru) m (soft)
• Scottish Gaelic: bathar-bog m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: програмска о̏према f, напудбина f, мекушје n, мековље n, мекотворина f, со̏фтве̄р m, програмска по̏тпора f, програмска по̀дршка f

  Roman: programska ȍprema f, napudbina f, mekušje n, mekovlje n, mekotvorina f, sȍftvēr (sh) m, programska pȍtpora f, programska pòdrška f

• Sicilian: prugramma m, software m
• Sindhi: منطقگري (sd) f
• Sinhalese: පරිගණක මෘදුකාංග (parigaṇaka mr̥dukāṁga)
• Slovak: softvér (sk) m
• Slovene: programska oprema f, programje n
• Spanish: software m, programa (es) m, soporte lógico m, sóftwer m
• Swahili: maunzi laini
• Swedish: mjukvara (sv) c, programvara (sv) c
• Tagalog: software
• Tajik: нармафзор (tg) (narmafzor), таъминоти барномавӣ (taʾminot-i barnomavi)
• Thai: ซอฟต์แวร์ (th) (sɔ́ɔp-wɛɛ), ส่วนชุดคำสั่ง (th) (sùuan-chút-kam-sàng)
• Tibetan: མཉེན་ཆས (mnyen chas)
• Turkish: yazılım (tr)
• Turkmen: programma üpjünçiligi
• Ukrainian: програ́мне забезпе́чення n (prohrámne zabezpéčennja), ПЗ n (PZ)
• Urdu: سافْٹ وِئِیر m (sāfṭ viīr), سافْٹ ویئَر m (sāfṭ vear)
• Uyghur: يۇمشاق دېتال (yumshaq dëtal)
• Uzbek: dasturiy taʼminot
• Vietnamese: phần mềm (vi), phần ứng dụng, nhu liệu (vi) (dated)
• Welsh: meddalwedd (cy) f
• Yiddish: ווייכוואַרג n (veykhvarg), פּראָגראַמוואַרג n (programvarg)

See also

• application
• assembler
• assembly
• bug
• code
• coding
• compilation
• compiler
• debugging
• interpreter
• linker
• linking
• open source
• patch
• programming
• script
• utilities
• warez

 

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

Declension of software (hard masculine inanimate foreign)

	singular	plural
nominative	software	softwary
genitive	softwaru	softwarů
dative	softwaru	softwarům
accusative	software	softwary
vocative	software	softwary
locative	softwaru	softwarech
instrumental	softwarem	softwary

Derived terms

• reklamní software
• softwarový
• svobodný software
• škodlivý software
• špehovací software
• špionážní software
• vyděračský software

 

See also

• hardware

Further reading

• software on the Czech Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^cs

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɔft.ʋɛr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: soft‧ware

Noun

software m (uncountable)

1. software (encoded computer instructions)

   Synonym: programmatuur

Derived terms

• gijzelsoftware
• softwareontwikkelaar
• softwareontwikkeling
• vrije software

 

Related terms

• hardware

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

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

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/

• Audio:

  (file)

• 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

Declension of software

	singular
nominative	software
genitive	software'u
dative	software'owi
accusative	software
instrumental	software'em
locative	softwarze
vocative	softwarze

Derived terms

adjective

• software'owy

 

Related terms

adverb

• software'owo

 

Further reading

• software in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛh], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛh], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛɾ/, /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛχ], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɔˈftwɛɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɔˈftwɛɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /sɔˈftwɛ.ɾi/

• 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

• engenharia de software
• engenheiro de software
• (diminutive) softwarezinho

 

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

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	software	software-ul		software-uri	software-urile
genitive-dative	software	software-ului		software-uri	software-urilor
vocative	software-ule			software-urilor

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

Expressions

• software dañino
• software de extorsión
• software espía
• software libre
• software publicitario

 

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)