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virtual machine
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software that emulates an entire computer, often used to provide a different operating system or hardware architecture than the host system
A virtual machine is software that pretends to be a complete computer, letting you run a different operating system or use different hardware than what you actually have. This matters because it lets you safely test new software, run older programs that your current system doesn't support, or use multiple operating systems on one device without buying extra hardware.
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virt-manager running the Haiku operating system in a window
In computing, a virtual machine (VM) is the virtualization or emulation of a computer system. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide the functionality of a physical computer. Their implementations may involve specialized hardware, software, or a combination of the two. Virtual machines differ and are organized by their function, shown here: