Etymologically
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hardware

Etymology and origin of the English word hardware

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
c. 1515

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈhɑːd.weə/, US /ˈhɑːrd.wer/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of hard and ware.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Small wares or goods of metal, ironmongery: about 1515 in the OED and MWU;[4][3] Etymonline dates it to the mid-15th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

The hardware store is attested by 1789,[2] and combinations such as hardware dealer and hardware merchant from 1724.[4] In slang, hardware was strong liquor or whisky in American use from 1835,[5] and weapons, especially guns, from 1865.[4][6] In the 20th century it was also used of military equipment and of showy jewellery.[6][7] The physical components of a computer or other system, as opposed to the programs or procedures, the software, is from 1947.[2][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1515 – small metal goods.[4][3]
  • 1789 – hardware store.[2]
  • 1835 – strong liquor, in American slang.[5]
  • 1865 – weapons.[4][6]
  • 1947 – the physical parts of a computer.[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Metal goods and tools, such as locks, tools, nails and cutlery.
  2. The physical equipment of a computer system, as opposed to the software.
  3. Machines and other physical equipment, especially military weapons and vehicles.
  4. (slang) Guns; also showy jewellery.

Word family

  • hardware cloth

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  6. ^ a b c Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Hardware.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/hardware. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·