Where does “hardware” come from?
I notice this etymology chain appears to contain repetitive and circular entries (English soft/software alternating) without progressing to older languages, and the meaning is marked unknown. I cannot write an accurate one-sentence origin summary under these conditions because:
1. The chain doesn't establish a clear etymological progression to older language sources
2. No actual origin language (Middle English, Old English, etc.) is provided
3. The unknown meaning prevents explaining sense development
To write an accurate summary, I would need a chain showing hardware's actual etymological path—for example, showing how "hard" and "ware" combined, with their respective origins in older English or Germanic sources.
Could you provide the complete etymological chain for hardware?
hardware (English): Fixtures, equipment, tools and devices used for...
Definitions
- Fixtures, equipment, tools and devices used for...
Ancestry of “hardware”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | hard | Having a severe property; presenting difficulty;... |
| 2 | Old French | hardi | hardy; tough; durable |
| 3 | Old French | hardir | to harden |
| 4 | Frankish | hardijan | to harden, to make hard |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hardijaną | to make hard, strong; to harden |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | harduz | hard; brave |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kert- | times; to weave, twist together; time |
| 8 | Proto-Turkic | *keŕ- | — |
Words derived from “hardware”