middleware

M3I1D2D2L1E1W4A1R1E1

noun

Software that functions at an intermediate layer between applications and operating system or database management system, or between client and server.

OriginEnglish softwarebf. ← Middle English ware ← Old English waru →
Less commonScrabble 17
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Meanings

nounmiddleware (usually uncountable, plural middlewares)

plural middlewares

  1. uncountableusuallycomputingSoftware that functions at an intermediate layer between applications and operating system or database management system, or between client and server.
  2. uncountableusuallycomputingNetworking software or hardware that is deployed in the middle of, as opposed to serviced by, a packet network to enhance or provide some network function, such as caching, filtering, or firewall functionality.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*midjō
  2. Proto-Germanic*midlą
  3. Old Englishmiddel
  4. Middle Englishmyddel
  5. Englishmiddle
  6. Proto-West Germanic*samft(ī)
  7. Old Englishsōfte
  8. Middle Englishsofte
  9. Englishsoft
  10. Proto-Germanic*warō
  11. Proto-West Germanic*waru
  12. Old Englishwaru
  13. Middle Englishware
  14. Englishsoftwarebf.
  15. Englishmiddleware

From middle + -ware.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

middleware. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/middleware

MLA

“middleware.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/middleware. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “middleware,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/middleware.

Source: middleware on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.