magneto-optical disc

8.0

A disc you can erase and write many times using light and magnets to store data

noun
/mæɡˈnitoʊ ˈɒptɪkəl dɪsk/

Archaic

: disco magnetoóptico

The new medical imaging device saves each scan to a magneto-optical disc for easy access and backup.

Examples

Many archival systems still rely on magneto-optical discs for reliable long-term data storage.
With a magneto-optical disc, users can rewrite files thousands of times without degrading the media.
The magneto-optical disc can hold large amounts of data.
Many magneto-optical discs are used for data backup.
The data was stored on a magneto-optical disc, allowing users to rewrite the information easily.
To access the archived files, he inserted the magneto-optical disc into the drive.
After backing up her photos, she removed the magneto-optical disc from the computer.

Synonyms

optical disk

vsmagneto-optical disc

Specialized

1 3.7

A flat round disk that holds computer files for a laser to read

uses both magnetic and light methods to record erase and rewrite data

Surface Forms

magneto-optical disc singular

magneto-optical discs plural

Morphology

magneto-optical + disk

The meaning — a disc that uses both magnetic and optical technologies for storage — is directly derivable from the constituents: 'magneto' (magnetic) + 'optical' (light-based) + 'disc' (storage medium). Though it's a technical term, the compound is compositionally transparent and follows regular compounding patterns found across languages, so a learner who knows the parts can infer its basic meaning.

Etymology

Magneto-optical disc is named for the two ways it works: magneto (magnet) and optical (light). Imagine tiny magnetic spots on the disc that a beam of light can change so the disc can be 'written', 'erased', and 'rewritten' many times, which is why the term means a disc that uses both magnets and light to store and rewrite information.