n. 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 ]