Peripheral

[puh-rif-er-uh l] /pəˈrɪf ər əl/

adjective, Also, (for defs 1–3).
1.
pertaining to, situated in, or constituting the :
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 relating 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.
/pəˈrɪfərəl/
adjective
1.
not relating to the most important part of something; incidental, minor, or superficial
2.
of, relating to, or of the nature of a periphery
3.
(anatomy) of, relating to, or situated near the surface of the body: a peripheral nerve
adj.

1803, from periphery + -al (1). An earlier formation was peripherial (1670s). Related: Peripherally. As a noun, peripherals, “peripheral devices of a computer,” is from 1966.

peripheral pe·riph·er·al (pə-rĭf’ər-əl)
adj.

peripheral
(pə-rĭf’ər-əl)
Adjective

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.

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

Read Also:

Peripheral component interconnect
hardware (PCI) A standard for connecting peripherals to a personal computer, designed by Intel and released around Autumn 1993. PCI is supported by most major manufacturers including Apple Computer. It is technically far superior to VESA’s local bus. It runs at 20 – 33 MHz and carries 32 bits at a time over a 124-pin […]
Peripheral device
noun 1. (computing) any device, such as a disk, printer, modem, or screen, concerned with input/output, storage, etc Often shortened to peripheral peripheral
Peripheral dysostosis
peripheral dysostosis n. Dysostosis of the metacarpals and metatarsals that may be hereditary and is accompanied by variable facial features.

Peripheralism
[puh-rif-er-uh-liz-uh m] /pəˈrɪf ər əˌlɪz əm/ noun, Psychology. 1. the explanation of psychological events emphasizing human functions, as those of skeletal muscles or the sex organs, rather than cognition or other processes of the central nervous system.
Peripherally
[puh-rif-er-uh l] /pəˈrɪf ər əl/ adjective, Also, (for defs 1–3). 1. pertaining to, situated in, or constituting the : 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 […]