| n. | 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. |
| Noun | 1. | CPU - (computer science) the part of a computer (a microprocessor chip) that does most of the data processing; the CPU and the memory form the central part of a computer to which the peripherals are attached |
| (architecture) | CPU - 1. central processing unit. 2. Occasionally used (although less and less) to refer to the system unit. |