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external


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Definition of external

adjective

  • 1belonging to or forming the outer surface or structure of something:the external walls
  • relating to or denoting a medicine or similar substance for use on the outside of the body:for external application only
  • 2coming or derived from a source outside the subject affected:for many the Church was a symbol of external authority the child learns to form conceptions of the external world
  • coming from or relating to a country or institution other than the main subject:a department of external affairs
  • for or concerning students registered with and taking the examinations of a university but not resident there:external degrees
  • 3 Computing (of hardware) not contained in the main computer; peripheral.
  • (of storage) using a disk or tape drive rather than the main memory.

noun

(externals)
  • the outward features of something:the place has all the appropriate externals, such as chimneys choked with ivy
  • inessential or superficial features: photographs can only show externals

Derivatives

externally

adverb

Origin:

late Middle English: from medieval Latin, from Latin exter 'outer'

external in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of external in the US English dictionary