Definition

Noun: - (Computer Science) A type of computer architecture characterized by a CPU chip containing a large, comprehensive set of hard-coded instructions. This approach integrates many specialized commands directly into the processor's circuitry.

Usage

This term is used in technical discussions about computer hardware design and performance. It is often contrasted with its counterpart, Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC). - Early personal computers often relied on complex instruction set computing. - The debate between complex instruction set computing and RISC architectures shaped processor design for decades.

Advanced Usage

• "CISC": This is the standard acronym for "complex instruction set computing."
  • The CISC architecture aims to reduce the number of instructions per program by making each instruction more powerful.

Variants and Related Words

• Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC): The specific type of computer or processor that uses this architecture.
  • The Intel x86 family is a well-known example of a Complex Instruction Set Computer.

Synonyms

• CISC: The direct acronym.
• Complex instruction set architecture: A slightly more formal variant.

Antonyms

• Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC): A competing architecture design philosophy featuring a smaller, simpler set of instructions.

Noun

1. (computer science) a kind of computer architecture that has a large number of instructions hard coded into the CPU chip