virtual machine

noun

, Computers.

1. Also called system virtual machine. a self-contained operating environment that behaves as if it is a separate computer, with no access to the host operating system:

   When an application runs in a virtual machine, there is little chance that it will damage files or applications in the host system.

2. Also called process virtual machine,. a platform-independent execution environment that itself runs as a normal application inside a host operating system and enables a program written for the virtual machine to execute the same way on any platform:

   JVM, written in the Java programming language, is the most common process virtual machine.

Word History and Origins

Origin of virtual machine¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Various limitations imposed by enabling virtual machines on premises or scaling up on the cloud side of the system can also increase costs and complexity.

From MIT Technology Review

Azure Defender delivers protection for all these resources from directly within the Azure experience and extends protection to on-premises and multi-cloud virtual machines and SQL databases using Azure Arc.

From MIT Technology Review