hypervisor
n.n. a piece of software that lets one computer run several different operating systems at the same time. It manages the computer's hardware so that each system can use what it needs without crashing the others.
n. a layer of software, firmware, or hardware that creates and runs virtual machines. It isolates the host's operating system and resources from the virtual machines, enabling the simultaneous execution of multiple guest environments.
The company uses a hypervisor to run multiple servers on one physical machine.
By installing a hypervisor, the IT department was able to consolidate their hardware and reduce energy costs significantly.
A Type 1 hypervisor runs directly on the host's hardware to control the resources and manage guest operating systems, offering better performance than software-based alternatives.
The term is a portmanteau of the Greek prefix hyper-, meaning over or beyond, and the English supervisor. It was coined in the 1960s to describe a level of control existing conceptually above a standard supervisor or operating system kernel.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used in cloud computing and server virtualization contexts.
Last updated July 22, 2026