Firmware

/ˈfɜːrmˌwɛr/ noun

Firmware is special software that is built into a device’s hardware and controls its basic functions, like how it starts up or communicates. It usually doesn’t change often and runs at a low level.

It blends “firm,” suggesting something fixed, with “software,” the programs that run on computers. The word was created to describe code that sits between hardware and regular software.

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