| Noun | 1. | front end - the side that is forward or prominent |
| 1. | front end - An intermediary computer that does set-up and filtering for another (usually more powerful but less friendly) machine (a "back end"). | ||
| 2. | front end - Software that provides an interface to another program "behind" it, which may not be as user-friendly. Probably from analogy with hardware front-ends that interfaced with mainframes. |