PowerShell
/POW-er-shel/ · noun · Development · Origin: 2006
Definitions
Microsoft's task automation framework and command-line shell, built on .NET and designed around the concept of passing objects (not text) between commands. PowerShell replaced the ancient cmd.exe for Windows administration and is now cross-platform, though it remains most powerful in Windows and Azure environments.
In plain English: Microsoft's command-line tool for managing Windows systems and automating tasks, more powerful than the old Command Prompt.
Example: I wrote a PowerShell script that provisions an entire Active Directory environment in 20 minutes — try doing that in Bash on Windows.
Origin Story
The shell that treats everything as an object instead of text
Jeffrey Snover at Microsoft created PowerShell (originally codenamed **Monad**) after writing an influential 2002 manifesto arguing that Windows needed a modern command-line shell. Unix shells pipe text between commands; Snover's insight was to pipe **.NET objects** instead.
The name **PowerShell** replaced "Monad" in 2006. "Power" reflected its capabilities beyond traditional shells, and "Shell" anchored it in familiar territory. Microsoft initially positioned it as an optional download before making it a core Windows component.
The paradigm shift was profound: instead of parsing text output with regex, PowerShell commands emit structured objects with properties and methods. `Get-Process | Where-Object {$_.CPU -gt 100}` filters by actual numeric CPU values, not string patterns.
Coined by: Jeffrey Snover
Context: Microsoft, 2006 (Monad manifesto 2002)
Fun fact: Snover was demoted for pushing PowerShell internally at Microsoft, which initially resisted the idea of a powerful command line. He was later promoted to Technical Fellow -- Microsoft's highest individual contributor title -- when PowerShell became essential to Azure and Windows Server.