# software
## English
### Etymology

From soft +‎ -ware, by contrast with hardware (“the computer itself”). Coined by John Tukey in 1958.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈsɒf(t)ˌwɛə/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈsɔftˌwɛɹ/
** (cot–caught merger) IPA: /ˈsɑftˌwɛɹ/
* (General Australian) IPA: /ˈsɔf(t)ˌweː/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɒftwɛə(ɹ)
* Hyphenation: soft‧ware
* Homophone: softwear

### Noun

software (usually uncountable, plural (nonstandard) softwares)
* (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."
* (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
* application software
* applications software
* biosoftware
* bloatware
* collaborative software
* docketing software
* firmware
* free software
* freeware
* hardware
* kitchen-table software
* kitchen table software
* libre software
* malware
* Microsoft
* microsoftware
* neurosoftware
* non-free software
* nonsoftware
* presentation software
* schlockware
* shareware
* softbot
* softlifting
* softmodem
* softography
* software archaeology
* software architect
* software architecture
* software configuration management
* software container
* 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
* system software
* 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)
* → Persian: نرم‌افزار (narm-afzâr) (calque)

#### Translations
### See also

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

### References

* ↑ "", How software got its name, 2000, the Economist
* ↑ "",John Tukey, 85, Statistician; Coined the Word 'Software', 2000, The New York Times

### Anagrams

* forwaste, softwear

## Czech
### Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈsoftvɛr]
* IPA: [ˈsoftvɛːr]

### Noun

software m inan
* (computing) software
    Synonyms: programové vybavení, (rare) programové prostředky

#### 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: /ˈsɔft.ʋɛr/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: soft‧ware

### Noun

software m (uncountable)
* 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)
* (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: /ˈsɔf.twɛr/, /ˈsɔf.twer/, /ˈsɔf.twɛ.ar/
* Rhymes: -ɔftwɛr, -ɔftwer, -ɔftwɛar

### Noun

software m (invariable)
* (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

#### Related terms

* hardware

### References

* ↑ software in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

## Norman
### Etymology

Borrowed from English software.

### Noun

software m (uncountable)
* (Jersey, computing) software (encoded computer instructions)

## Polish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsɔft.wɛr/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɔftwɛr
* Syllabification: soft‧ware

### Noun

software m inan
* (software) software (encoded computer instructions)
    Synonym: oprogramowanie
    Coordinate term: hardware
* (technology) technical and organizational ideas

#### Derived terms

* software'owy

#### Related terms

* software'owo

### Further reading

* software in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛh], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛh]
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛh], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛh]
** (São Paulo) IPA: /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛɾ/, /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛɾ/
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛχ], /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛʁ/ [ˈsɔf.t͡ʃi.wɛχ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈsɔf.t͡ʃwɛɻ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /sɔˈftwɛɾ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /sɔˈftwɛɾ/
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /sɔˈftwɛ.ɾi/
* Rhymes: -ɔftʃiwɛʁ, -ɛɾ
* Hyphenation: soft‧ware

### Noun

software m (countable and uncountable, plural softwares)
* (uncountable, computing) software (encoded computer instructions)
* (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)
* (computing) software (encoded computer instructions)
    Synonym: soft

#### Related terms

* hardware

## Spanish
### Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English software.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈsoftweɾ/ [ˈsoft̪.weɾ], /ˈsofweɾ/ [ˈsof.weɾ]
* Rhymes: -oftweɾ, -ofweɾ
* Syllabification: soft‧ware

### Noun

software m (plural softwares)
* (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

* 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)