Generally speaking, term for any two or more components of a system in close geographical proximity to each other. A local area network, for example, comprises a set of computers in a single building, or at the very least, a set of buildngs clustered fairly close together. A local disk is a hard disk connected directly to a workstation, rather than to a central server.
The term local is also used to refer to any correction, change, etc., that is performed only in an isolated area, as opposed to one that is global. See, for example, Local Correction.