hardware: Meaning and Definition of

hard•ware

1. metalware, as tools, locks, hinges, or cutlery.
2. the mechanical equipment necessary for conducting an activity, usually distinguished from the theory and design that make the activity possible.
3. military weapons and combat equipment.
4. a weapon carried on one's person: The rougher types were asked to check their hardware at the door.
5. the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical devices comprising a computer system, as the CPU, disk drives, keyboard, or screen. Cf. software.