The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
hard-wired \hard"-wired"\, hard wired \hard"
wired"\(h[aum]rd"w[imac]rd"), a.
1. (Computers) Contained within the circuitry of a computer
or computer peripheral device, and not changeable by
programming; -- of functions; as, error correction is
hard-wired into the circuit of the disk drive, so it
proceeds very rapidly.
[PJC]
2. Connected by a continuous electrical wire, rather than
through a switch; as, the air-conditioner was hard-wired
into the wall circuit, so moving it would require an
electrician.
[PJC]
3. (Metaph.) Performed by an inborn pattern of neural
circuits; instinctive; not learned; as, many bird songs
are hard-wired, but some are learned.
[PJC]
People, as the cybernetic metaphor now has it, are
"hard wired" to do good in order to enhance their
own happiness. --Andrew Delbanco (New York Times
Magazine, May 7, 2000; p. 46).
[PJC]
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
hard-wired
wired
1. An aspect of an electronic circuit which is
determined by the wiring of the hardware, as opposed to being
programmable in software or controlled by a switch.
2. In software, a synonym for hard-coded.
3. By extension, anything that is not modifiable, especially
in the sense of customisable to one's particular needs or
tastes.
[Jargon File]
(1999-10-18)