noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A permanent form of software that provides a low-level control of computing device hardware. uncountable
2. 2
   (computer science) coded instructions that are stored permanently in read-only memory wordnet
3. 3
   Software that is intended for such embedded computer applications. uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

microcode

Example

More examples

"To upgrade the firmware, you must go to the download page and download the latest version."

Etymology

From firm + -ware, coined in an article in 1967 as an intermediary term between hardware and software.

Related phrases

firmware engineersource code

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.