bios

bios — noun

IPA/ˈbaɪ.ɒs/
KK[bˈaɪos]IPA/ˈbaɪ.oʊs/
  • biossingular
  • biosesplural

1. the basic software permanently stored on a computer's motherboard that starts ru

1.nounC1
Definition

the basic software permanently stored on a computer's motherboard that starts running the moment the power is switched on; it controls the communication between the central processor and connected hardware devices such as the keyboard, screen, and storage drives, and checks that everything is working before the main operating system loads.

Example

Hao updated his computer's BIOS to fix a problem with the new graphics card.

the BIOS → definite article with firmware name

When Tanaka's PC failed to boot, the repair shop found a corrupted BIOS was preventing Windows from detecting the SSD.

corrupted BIOS — common noun modifier pattern

Common collocations
  • update the BIOS
  • enter the BIOS
  • access the BIOS
  • BIOS settings
  • BIOS version
  • corrupted BIOS
Synonyms
  • firmware

    broader category; BIOS is one type of firmware, but firmware also includes UEFI and embedded controller software

Grammar Patterns

the BIOS

a BIOS update

BIOS settings

Usage Note

Almost always written in uppercase letters (BIOS), even though the dictionary form is lowercase. This sense is used as a countable noun when referring to a specific version or type of BIOS (e.g. 'the latest BIOS from the manufacturer') and as an uncountable noun when talking about the system in general (e.g. 'the computer boots from BIOS').

Common Mistakes

I installed a new BIOS chip.' (when you mean 'updated the firmware').
I updated the BIOS firmware on the motherboard.
The BIOS is software stored on a chip, not the chip itself.
The BIOS is an operating system.
The BIOS is a firmware program that starts before the operating system loads.
BIOS and the operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux) are two different layers of software.

bios — abbreviation

IPA/ˈbaɪɒs/
KK[bˈaɪos]IPA/ˈbaɪɑːs/

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

BIOS, firmware, and UEFI are closely related terms in computing, but they are not interchangeable. Firmware is the broadest category — it refers to any software that is stored on a read-only memory chip inside a device. BIOS is one specific type of firmware used in older and many current PCs to start the hardware and load the operating system. UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a newer, more advanced replacement for BIOS that supports larger hard drives, a graphical interface, and faster boot times. In everyday usage, people may say 'the BIOS' even when the machine actually uses UEFI, because the term has become a generic word for startup firmware. For example: 'This motherboard uses UEFI, not the traditional BIOS.' — but users still say 'go into the BIOS setup.'

BIOS ↗firmware ↗UEFI

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

Englishacronym

BIOS is a backronym formed in the mid-1970s from 'Basic Input-Output System'. It was coined by Gary Kildall for the CP/M operating system and later adopted by IBM for the original IBM PC in 1981. The lowercase form 'bios' is the dictionary headword, but the term is almost always capitalised in technical writing.

First known use

1980

1980, in the meaning defined above