CPU

CPU CPU, cpu c.p.u. . abbr. 1. (Computers) The {central processing unit}, that part of the electronic circuitry of a computer in which the arithmetic and logical operations are performed on input data, which are thereby converted to output data; it is usually located on the mainboard, or motherboard, of a computer. The CPU and the memory form the central part of a computer to which the peripherals are attached. Most personal computers as of 1998 had only one CPU, but some computers may have more than one CPU. [acronym]

Syn: central processing unit, CPU, C.P.U., central processor, processor. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]