Virtualisation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of transforming physical computing resources into simulated versions, allowing various operating systems or applications to run independently on the same hardware
2. This technology involves the abstraction of hardware to create multiple virtual instances, enhancing efficiency and resource management within a single system
3. The process of converting physical computing environments into virtual counterparts enables distinct operating systems to operate on shared hardware resources

Etymology: "Virtualisation" is a modern compound, built from "virtual" with the suffix "-isation," which turns an adjective into a noun for the process of making something the adjective describes. The adjective "virtual" comes from Medieval Latin "virtualis," from Latin "virtus," meaning power or efficacy, so something virtual was originally something that had effect without being the thing itself. The "-isation" ending combines the Greek-derived "-izein," meaning to make or cause to become, which passed through Late Latin "-izare" and Middle French "-iser," with the Latin "-ation" noun ending that English also received through Old French. The result is a word that describes making something act as if it were a different thing, which is exactly what the computing sense does: software imitates a machine so that one piece of hardware can behave as several. The noun names the process rather than the result, so it fits the transformation the definition describes.

Synonyms: virtualization