peripheral - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

pe·riph·er·al

Audio Help [puh-rif-er-uh

l] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	pertaining to, situated in, or constituting the periphery: peripheral resistance on the outskirts of the battle area.

2.	concerned with relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question.

3.	Anatomy. near the surface or outside of; external.

4.	Computers. of or pertaining to a peripheral.

–noun

5.	Computers. a device or unit that operates separately from the CPU but is connected to it, as a magnetic disk or tape unit or a printer.

Also, peripheric (for defs. 1–3).

[Origin: 1800–10; 1965–70 for def. 4; < Gk peripher(s) (see periphery) + -al¹

]

—Related forms

pe·riph·er·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
peripheral

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

pe·riph·er·al Audio Help (pə-rĭf'ər-əl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Related to, located in, or constituting an outer boundary or periphery.
Perceived or perceiving near the outer edges of the retina: peripheral vision.
Anatomy
1. Of the surface or outer part of a body or organ; external.
2. Of, relating to, or being part of the peripheral nervous system.
Of minor relevance or importance.
Auxiliary.

n. Computer Science
An auxiliary device, such as a printer, modem, or storage system, that works in conjunction with a computer.

pe·riph'er·al·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

peripheral
adjective
1.	on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary; the outer area; "Russia's peripheral provinces"; "peripheral suburbs" [ant: central]
2.	related to the key issue but not of central importance; "a peripheral interest"; "energy is far from a peripheral issue in the economy"; "peripheral issues"
noun
1.	(computer science) electronic equipment connected by cable to the CPU of a computer; "disk drives and printers are important peripherals"

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

peripheral Audio Help (pə-rĭf'ər-əl) Pronunciation Key
Adjective

Anatomy Relating to or being the surface or outer part of a body or organ.
Relating to or being part of the peripheral nervous system.

Noun Computer Science An auxiliary device, such as a printer or modem, distinct from a computer's central processing unit and working memory, and often connected externally.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
peripheral

Any part that is separate from a computer's CPU, such as a printer, a keyboard, or a monitor.

[Chapter:] Technology

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

peripheral hardware
(Or "peripheral device", "device") Any part of a computer other than the CPU or working memory, i.e. disks, keyboards, monitors, mice, printers, scanners, tape drives, microphones, speakers, cameras, to list just the less exotic ones.
High speed working memory, such as RAM, ROM or, in the old days, core would not normally be referred to as peripherals. The more modern term "device" is also more general in that it is used for things such as a pseudo-tty, a RAM drive, or a network adaptor.
Some argue that, since the advent of the personal computer, the motherboard, hard disk, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are all parts of the base system, and only use the term "peripheral" for optional additional components.
(2002-09-03)