
English word software comes from English soft
soft (English)
A soft or foolish person; an idiot. (UK, colloquial) Foolish.. (UK, of a man) Effeminate.. (linguistics) Voiced; sonant.. (linguistics, Slavic languages) palatalized. (linguistics, rare) voiceless. (of a person) Physically or emotionally weak.. (of a sound) Quiet.. (of cloth or similar material) Smooth and flexible; not rough, rugged, or harsh.. (of water) Low in dissolved calcium [...]
software (English)
(computing) Encoded computer instructions, usually modifiable (unless stored in some form of unalterable memory such as ROM).
-ware (English)
Used to form nouns denoting, collectively, items made from a particular substance.. Used to form nouns denoting, collectively, items of a particular kind or for a particular use. Used to form mass nouns denoting specific classes of computer software, based on use, function, or method of distribution.