hardwaren.
/ˈhɑːdwɛː/, U.S. /ˈhɑrdˌwɛ(ə)r/ 1. Originally: small items made of metal. Later more generally: tools, utensils, fittings, and other items for domestic or household use. Cf. houseware n. at house n.1 and int. Compounds 10.Recorded earliest in hardwareman n., and apparently rare other than in this compound until the 18th cent.
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society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > product of > small
hardware1419
quincaillerie1856
society > trade and finance > merchandise > article(s) to be sold > [noun] > goods sold by other specific traders
cutlery1624
saltery ware1628
millinery1676
ironmongery1711
hardware1723
cheesemongery1760
confectionery1769
hosiery1790
hattery1824
drysaltery1847
shoemercery1862
drapery1897
1419 in F. Collins Reg. Freemen York (1897) I. 129 (MED) Will. Smyth, hardewareman.
1431 Searcher's Acct. 10 Feb. in D. M. Owen Making of King's Lynn (1984) 364 24s 10d de precio diversarum mercandisarum subscriptarum vocatarum hardeware vel haberdassh' in quodam barello positarum cuiusdam mercatoris alienigene, videlicet 12 duodenarum vitri pro spectaculis precii 5d 7 duodenarum thymblis precii 7d [etc.].
1440 in W. H. Black Hist. & Antiq. Worshipful Company of Leathersellers (1871) 25 (MED) All maner nayles, arowhedes, and all other hardware, commyng to this Cite.
1695 J. Edwards Disc. conc. Old & New-Test. III. iii. 147 We read..that the Tents or Booths were made of Skins; in tacking and fastning of which it is likely they at length made use of some of Tubal's Hard Ware.
1723 London Gaz. No. 6146/10 John Lowe..Haberdasher of Hard-Ware.
1766 T. Smollett Trav. France & Italy I. xxiii. 353 Nothing can be more contemptible than the hard-ware made in this place, such as knives, scissars, and candle-snuffers.
1774 T. Pennant Tour Scotl. 1772 10 Locks, hinges, cast-iron and other branches of hardware.
1822 M. Graham Jrnl. 21 Jan. in Captain's Wife (1993) 61 Printed cottons, broad cloths, crockery, but above all, hardware from Birmingham, are to be had little dearer than at home.
1845 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 I. viii. 535 Pedlars..with a pack of scissors or other hardware at their backs.
1898 Dict. National Biogr. LIII. 338/1 He was a net-maker and shoemaker, and sold hardware in a booth upon the Sandhill.
1921 Outlook 23 Nov. 481/2 At Harrod's, the great department store of London, you are directed to the ironmongery department for your hardware.
1948 T. S. Ashton Industr. Revol. 1760–1830 ii. 47 Cloth, firearms, hardware, and trinkets were sent to Africa and exchanged for slaves.
1974 R. M. Adams Roman Stamp ii. 53 Agen is today a hard and brassy little burg..dedicated to selling hardware, repairing tires, and doing curious things to prunes.
2009 Express (Scottish ed.) (Nexis) 3 Sept. 13 Like every Edinburger below the age of 191, I've grown up with Gray's of George Street..one of the last places to sell you hardware in the quantities you, not they, want.
2. In extended use (chiefly colloquial).
a. gen. Equipment, machinery, etc., typically made wholly or partly of metal.
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1834 Westm. Rev. Jan. 75 Besides his violin..somebody had given him a French Horn; a perilous piece of hardware for the youthful dealer.
1914 L. E. Jackson & C. R. Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Slang 42 Hardware,..tools and paraphernalia used by safe-crackers [etc.].
1961 Flight 80 654/1 The same hardware and techniques used to launch an orbiting scientific capsule can also be used to orbit an early-warning satellite.
1968 Times 9 Sept. 6/7 Prince William has some useful leisure hardware—like a private aircraft.
1984 Newsweek (U.S. ed.) (Nexis) 1 Oct. 82 Free climbers go a step further, relying on ropes and hardware only to stop falls, not to make ascents easier.
2007 Procycling June 28/3 No replacement surgery has been required thus far, but he says he has a ‘ton of hardware’ in his leg.
b. spec. Weaponry; munitions; military equipment generally.
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society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > [noun] > collective or plural
weaponc825
armsa1275
i-wepenc1275
tacklec1400
arming1431
tackling1529
militia1656
arms of offence1692
weaponry1844
hardware1855
tool1938
1855 ‘P. Phosphorus’ Exile xiii. 148 A worthy armourer from Liege..took advantage of the state of things at Leyden to dispose of a little of his hardware.
1857 N.Y. Herald 6 July 4/5 It is unfortunate that no men were with the gun at the time of its falling into the hands of the authorities... Where was this bit of hardware obtained?
1865 C. H. Springer Jrnl. 10 Sept. in B. F. Cooling Soldiering in Sioux Country (1971) 54 A little mountain howitzer..throwed them a piece of ‘hardware’ over which scared them nearly into fits.
1885 Daily News 12 Nov. 5/4 The chances are that the authorities..may have had an eye on such kind of ‘hardware’ [sc. torpedoes].
1913 Elgin (Iowa) Echo 17 July Men who have been in the habit of carrying a revolver, must either leave their hardware at home or take a chance on sojourning in the state penitentiary for a two year term.
1955 Bull. Atomic Scientists Apr. 168/2 How much does our superiority in hardware contribute to our over-all security?
2010 D. Hagberg Cabal xliv. 208 ‘Was he carrying any hardware that was obvious?’ ‘Probably a pistol, unless he's crazy.’
c. Medals, trophies, etc.; articles made of gold or silver; jewellery.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > types of ornamentation > jewellery > [noun] > flashy
hardware1945
bling1999
1920 H. Wiley Konkrin' Hero in Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 26 June 9/3 [He] listened strong to the appeal made by the jingling hardware of heroism.
1928 H. Liggett A.E.F. vi. 268 Some men cannot take their medals or let them alone. ‘Hardware’ is the Army's deprecating term for them.
1945 L. Shelly Hepcats Jive Talk Dict. 12/2 Hardware, flashy jewelry.
1951 I. Shaw Troubled Air vii. 105 When the rating goes up, I buy my hardware [sc. jewellery] at Cartier's.
1963 Amer. Speech 38 206 Hardware, slang for a medal or trophy won in a skiing competition.
1990 Reader's Digest June 163/2 ‘I suppose I'll be getting you some hardware pretty soon.’.. The next pay day, he gave her the ring.
2014 Yukon News (Nexis) 4 July a31 Yukoners winning hardware at the Jack Brow Memorial Track and Field Meet is nothing new, but one of the medals came from unexplored territory on Saturday.
3. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). Strong alcoholic drink; hard spirits. Cf. hard stuff n. at hard adj. and n. Compounds 4. Now rare.
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the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > types or qualities of intoxicating liquor > [noun] > strong
strong drinkc1405
ipse1634
knock-down1698
hogan1702
knock-me-down1756
milk1784
hot stuff1823
chain lightning1825
sudden death1834
hardware1835
stagger-juice1905
sting1929
strongers1939
screech1944
rocket fuel1958
1835 W. Otter Hist. My Own Times 173 He was fond of the hardware, and I was not, although I never poured it into my shoes, neither when it was agoing.
1852 Knickerbocker Jan. 105 He was reckless and ‘extravagant’; that is, he spent all his money for ‘hardware’.
1878 C. Hallock Amer. Club List & Sportsman's Gloss. p. v/2 Hardware, alcoholic liquors (Newfoundland).
1920 DuPage County (Illinois) Reg. 5 Nov. The prohibition parlor has been rented by F. W. Betterman. Fred has it well stocked up with good things to eat and drink, but the hardware on the hip is missing.
1932 Writer's Digest Aug. 47 If he wants hard liquor he says, ‘hardware’.
1967 in Dict. Amer. Regional Eng. (1991) II. 908/2 General words..for any kind of liquor... Hardware.
4.
a. The physical portion of a computer system, including electrical, electronic, electromechanical, and mechanical components (as a disk drive, CPU, keyboard, etc.). As a mass noun: computing or electronic devices or components considered collectively.Often contrasted with software n. 2b.
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society > computing and information technology > hardware > [noun]
hardware1947
computer hardware1959
society > occupation and work > equipment > [noun]
tacklea1325
enginea1393
geara1400
workhorse1463
graith1513
trinketc1525
implementsa1552
furniture1577
store1605
tew1616
thing1662
stock-in-trade1775
tack1777
apparatus1796
work thing1812
gearinga1854
matériel1856
plant1867
hardware1947
workhorse1949
1947 D. R. Hartree Calculating Machines 14 The ENIAC... I shall give a brief account of it, since it will make the later discussion more realistic if you have an idea of some ‘hardware’ and how it is used, and this is the equipment with which I am best acquainted.
1965 New Scientist 4 Nov. 331/1 All necessary hardware [for computers] exists today and is in production, but getting a comprehensive system off the ground requires the creation of a great deal of software.
1985 J. D. Richards & N. S. Ryan Data Processing in Archaeol. iii. 29 Knowledge of the hardware need go no further than where to find a terminal, which keys to press and where to collect any printed results.
1995 Home & School Feb. 50/2 Some programs require a special piece of hardware—the sound card—to work properly.
2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 6 Mar. c7/2 Printers and other hardware items offered free.
2011 W. Isaacson Steve Jobs (2013) xiii. 137 For a computer to be truly great, its hardware and its software had to be tightly linked.
b. figurative. The physical aspect or framework of any kind of system.Contrasted with software n. 3.
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1966 National Observer (U.S.) 21 Feb. 8/3 This deal..is the latest..in a series of corporate marriages combining..‘the software and the hardware’ of education.
1994 Sat. Night (Toronto) Nov. 50/1 The promotion industry is divided into hardware (the venues) and software (the bands). Promoters have usually owned neither, in effect renting both.
2011 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 24 Nov. 48/3 Currently, when our human hardware crashes, the software of our lives—our personal ‘mind file’—dies with it.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive and objective.† (b) British colloquial. With the sense ‘designating a person engaged in the manufacture of hardware in Birmingham and the surrounding districts, or this area itself as a centre for the manufacture of hardware’. Obsolete.
(a) In sense 1, as hardware dealer, hardware department, hardware house, etc.
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society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in household goods
hardwareman1419
glass-man1597
hardware dealer1703
Chinaman1733
broker1818
Chinawoman1837
1703 J. Browne Mod. Pract. Physick Vindicated 183 There is scarce a Family that are Hard-ware Mechanicks (as they call 'em,) that is Cutlers, Scith-Smiths, Button-makers, and the like.
1724 J. Swift Let. to Shop-keepers of Ireland (new ed.) 3 Mr. Woods..a Hard Ware Dealer, procured a Patent..to Coin fourscore and ten thousand pounds in Copper.
1787 World & Fashionable Advertiser 6 Nov. (advt.) A Young Man, twenty-seven years of age, who..has served a regular apprenticeship to a Hardware-house in the Country.
1798 F. Higgins Let. 1 May in T. Bartlett Revolutionary Dublin (2004) 235 Peter Martin of Thomas St., ironmonger and hardware merchant.
1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. I. i. iv. §1. 68 Suppose..that our capitalist is a hardware manufacturer.
1861 A. Trollope Orley Farm (1862) I. vi. 40 The other was a little spare man in the hardware line.
1874 W. M. Baines Narr. Edward Crewe 172 Those ugly dull wedges, sometimes to be seen in a hardware-shop in England, and labelled American axes.
1898 N.E.D. at Hardware Hardware dealer, factory, merchant, trade.
1930 Nature Mag. Mar. 170/1 Collecting in plaster..is quite satisfactory... Just get some plaster of paris at your druggist's or hardware dealer.
1972 J. Merrill Toothpaste Millionaire x. 40 ‘Grommets,’ Vince said... ‘They're a hardware item... You use them on tents or boats.’
2009 D. Lebovitz Sweet Life in Paris 237 Her husband..loved hardware stores and insisted on checking out the hardware department.
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1831 Bell's Life in London 27 Feb. It was soon seen that the ‘hardware lads’ were best breeched, for they soon stopped all the long odds.
1851 S. Sidney Rides on Railways 164 The relations [of the firm] with Birmingham and the hardware country are very close.
1890 Licensed Victuallers' Mirror 25 Nov. 555/1 Many were the taunts and jeers which the Tamworth fanciers levelled at the sporting Brums... The hardware boys, however, gave as good as they got in this species of chaff.
1893 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang III. 272/2 Hardware-bloke,..a native of Birmingham.
b. In sense 4a, as hardware acceleration, hardware design, hardware maker, hardware platform, hardware support, etc.
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1960 Ann. Rev. Automatic Programming 1 270 It was decided to focus attention on three different levels of language, namely a Reference Language, a Publication Language and several Hardware Representations.
1965 IEEE Conf. Rec. Switching Circuit Theory & Logical Design 291/1 The following hardware function must be generated to obtain the compare logic.
1977 Proc. Soc. Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers 1976 83 105 The Goddard Space Flight Center is presently developing hardware technology for building ultra high speed computers.
1982 A. Clements Microcomputer Design & Constr. vi. 170 Motorola have introduced a hardware device giving the 6800 a vectored interrupt facility.
1984 Which Micro? Dec. 20/1 The BBC Micro..has..software and hardware support.
1987 Computerworld Focus (Nexis) 4 Mar. 31 Advanced DOS's positive points are primarily in leveraging existing hardware platforms and maintaining some ties with the past.
1988 Computer Graphics World Feb. 15 A 20 MHz, fully programmable graphics microprocessor with on-chip graphics hardware acceleration.
2002 Wall St. Jrnl. 14 Oct. r7/5 A program that would subject corporate software to the same rigorous stress-testing that hardware makers apply to computers.
2010 RadioUser Apr. 15/2 The team has found an inexpensive alternative hardware setup for intercepting the data traffic.
C2.
hardware cloth n. North American a kind of strong but flexible wire netting with a square mesh, typically made of galvanized steel.
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1894 Sci. Amer. Suppl. 5 May 15302/1 The floors are of spruce, underneath which is fine hardware cloth, to prevent mice and rats from getting the young chickens.
1915 Manitoba Free Press 20 July 16/1 Screen doors..reinforced with extra heavy square mesh, galvanized hardware cloth.
1949 Pop. Mech. Oct. 228/2 The planted area is protected with a hardware-cloth screen immediately after sowing.
2013 J. Lazor Org. Grain Grower viii. 102/1 Obtain an assortment of wire-mesh hardware cloth and tack it to the screens. Standard sizes run from one-eighth-inch to one-inch squares.
hardware paper n. U.S. (now disused) a kind of strong wrapping paper.
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1827 Daily National Jrnl. (Washington, D.C.) 13 Feb. (advt.) 6 [reams] hardware paper.
1886 Harper's Mag. June 48/1 Wrapping the stem [of the peach-tree]..with strong hardware or sheathing paper.
1922 H. M. Lehmann & B. E. Kennard Paper & Stationery (new ed.) viii. 87 Hardware paper, used for wrapping steel, is sized with glue and an excess of alum to keep the steel bright.
1931 New Castle (Pa.) News 18 June 14/3 The product consisted of sugar bags, glazed hardware wrapping paper and manila papers.]
hardware store n. originally North American a shop in which hardware (sense 1) is sold; an ironmonger's shop.
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society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shops selling other specific goods
jeweller's shop1632
ironmongery1648
ironmonger1673
jeweller1675
news shop1688
print shop1689
Indian house1692
coal shed1718
pamphlet shop1721
lormery1725
drugstore1771
hardware store1777
junk store1777
chandler-shop1782
junk shop1790
music store1794
pot shop1794
finding store1822
marine store1837
picture house1838
paint shop1847
news agency1852
chemist1856
Army and Navy1878
cyclery1886
jumble-shop1893
pig shop1896
Manchester department1905
lot1909
craft shop1911
garden centre1912
pet shop1927
sex shop1949
video store1949
quincaillerie1951
home centre1955
Army-Navy1965
cookshop1967
sound shop1972
bucket-shop1973
1777 N.Y. Gaz. & Weekly Mercury 6 Jan. 4/3 (advt.) At Richard Sause's Hardware, Jewellery, and Cutlery Store..may be had..sugar knippers, key swivels, and hoof picks.
1789 Boston Directory Whitwell,..hardware store.
1839 Age 8 Dec. 386/2 Perhaps some of the heavy purchasers may before long, like the bull in the hardware-store, find themselves in a queer position.
1841 C. Cist Cincinnati in 1841 247 The lighter castings kept in hardware stores—butt and parliament hinges, for example—will be made here.
1936 Amer. Home Feb. 12/2 This useful instrument consists of a spirit level used on an ordinary line. It can be obtained for fifty cents at any hardware store.
1971 R. J. Green Country Planning iii. 24 Villages of 1,800–3,000 persons having also an electrical goods shop, licensed club, hardware store and gentlemen's hairdresser.
2010 R. Skloot Immortal Life Henrietta Lacks (2011) ii. 25 Main Street had a movie theater, bank, jewelry store, doctor's office, hardware store, and several churches.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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