Kubernetes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An open-source system designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications
2. A platform that facilitates the orchestration and handling of software containers across clusters of computers
3. A technology that manages the allocation, scaling, and operation of containerized workloads in distributed environments

Etymology: The word comes from Ancient Greek "kubernētēs," meaning "steersman" or "captain," the person who held the rudder of a ship and gave orders to the crew. The Greek noun was itself related to "kubernan," to steer, and it was used for the pilot who guided a vessel through dangerous water. Its metaphorical reach was already wide in Greek, where a ship's captain could be a figure of authority over any group that needed guiding. English took the word in its Latinised form and it has stayed close to its nautical roots. The term now names software that steers large fleets of containers, the shipping-derived image being apt: the program decides where each unit of work runs, much as a steersman decides the course. Many readers meet the term without knowing it is an old Greek word for someone at the helm.