/hows"kee'ping/ , n.
1. the maintenance of a house or domestic establishment.
2. the management of household affairs.
3. the management, care, and servicing of property and equipment of an industrial or commercial building or organization.
4. the ongoing routine, procedures, operations, and management of a commercial enterprise, government, organization, or the like.
5. Computers. system tasks, as initialization and managing peripheral devices, that must be done to permit a computer program to execute properly but that do not directly contribute to program output.
[ 1530-40; HOUSE + KEEPING ]