Term: motherboard

A motherboard is the primary circuit board in a computer. It typically has sockets for the machine’s CPU, RAM, keyboard, mouse, and disk controllers, and the circuitry to interconnect them all. It’s also common for motherboards to contain additional circuitry for external connections, such as USB and eSATA. Many motherboards also include video adapter circuitry as well.

Many motherboards, particularly those in desktop PCs, include slots into which expansion cards can be inserted to provide additional hardware functionality. Occasionally, those expansion cards, or other cards that can be attached to a motherboard, may be referred to as daughterboards.