floppy disk
6
3.7
- noun
- /ˈflɑpi dɪsk/
- Archaic
:
disquete
- He inserted the floppy disk into the drive to load the program.
- a magnetic floppy disk
- stored on a floppy disk
- 3.5-inch floppy disk
So I needed multiple floppy disks to build a novel and I lost them.
- So I needed multiple floppy disks to build a novel and I lost them.
- That's right, the US nuclear program still uses floppy disks.
- Now, for many children, they've never seen a floppy disk or one of those little harder floppy disks in their life.
- At this time, everything was done with floppy disks, which are old technologies that that could store things that didn't have much capacity.
- Up next, Silverstone has now formally announced again its retro floppy disk drive case.
- Today, you know, you have billions and billions of times that floppy disk in your smartphone in your pocket.
- And sometimes you have to remove the floppy disk drive or whatever the I forgot all the crazy stories of Steve Jobs, like making wild design decisions.
Examples
-
Andrew begins shoving floppy disks into the slots on his computer, bringing up each disk's directory.
Fiction book (1993) -
The program is written in Applesoft BASIC on a 5 1/4-inch floppy disk and requires a minimum memory capacity of 64K.
Academic text (1991) -
Students were expected to print out their work or bring it to school on a floppy disk.
Academic text (2001) -
I'll make a copy on a floppy disk for you.
-
Just in case you've never seen one, I brought a floppy disk to show you.
-
After you finish the title, you can save the information to a floppy disk for later retrieval.
Academic text (1993) -
Data were stored on a floppy disk in a binary format for data reduction on the ground.
Academic text (1997) -
Information previously stored on floppy disks may also be communicated in this way.
Academic text (1992) -
At my university, students summarize articles in the literature, and they submit their summaries on floppy disk.
Academic text (1993) -
Will sits at an old computer, surrounded by the yellowing stacks of files and floppy disks.
Fiction book (1996)
Synonyms
191
2.8
A flat round object that stores computer data using magnets
7
8.2
A small flat plastic disk used with old computers to store files
5
7.7
A small square plastic case that holds a thin magnetic disk for storing computer files
1
3.7
A flat round object covered with magnetic material that stores data
How Obsolete
- Archaic
11
7.4
- Archaic
6
3.7
- Specialized
2
3.9
2
3.3
- Specialized
106
2.8
- Specialized
238
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is compositionally clear: 'floppy' + 'disk' names a physical storage medium, so a learner who knows both words will grasp the literal object. However, its frequent contemporary use to mean the 'save' icon in software is a cultural/technological metonymic extension not fully predictable from the constituents, so understanding that specific UI meaning typically requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Floppy disk gets its name from the thin, bendable disk inside a square plastic cover. Because the disk was literally floppy, the name came to mean 'a small removable disk' used to 'save' and move computer files.