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Glite Dictionary
CD-ROM

CD-ROM

16 4.0
A disc for computers that stores data you cannot change
  • noun
  • /ˌsiːˌdiːˈrɒm/
  • Archaic
translation icon : CD-ROM
  • Request your CD-ROM copy of the manual by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO or sending an email to cdcinfo@cdc.gov.
  • CD-ROM drive
  • interactive CD-ROM
  • multimedia CD-ROM

It is downloading it from the CD-ROM drive.

Examples

  • Homeowners receive a CD-ROM with their permit, as well as literature explaining the system and its maintenance.

    Academic text (2008)

  • With a scanner and a CD-ROM, I could produce braille versions of all sorts of print material.

    Academic text (1996)

  • I told you the letters would fit on a CD-ROM, right?

  • Now, for a CD-ROM drive to be effective, it has to be portable... ...it has to be fast.

    Disclosure (1994)

  • The cost of an encyclopedia is about the same on CD-ROM as it is in printed form.

    Academic text (1992)

  • During the past year, the number of CD-ROM titles has grown by 54 percent, to 8,100.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The market favored CD-ROM because of its larger flexibility and better integration with existing computer systems.

    Academic text (2015)

  • The librarian teaches them how to use CD-ROMs and other forms of research they have ignored for years.

    Academic text (1994)

  • As helpful as these packages are, however, the catalog of available compositions on CD-ROM is still limited.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The nonprofit group Parents' Choice picked these CD-ROM software packages as the best available for kids.

Synonyms

compact disc read-only memory
vsCD-ROM
  • Specialized
3.9

A CD for computers that holds data you cannot change

is the abbreviated form of that same term

How Writable

CD-WO
  • Archaic
6.7
CD-ROM
  • Archaic
16 4.0

Surface Forms

CD-ROM singular
CD-ROMs plural

Morphology

CD-ROM = CD + ROM (transparent) = C + D + R + O + M

The term is a straightforward compound of the established technical abbreviations 'CD' and 'ROM' and directly denotes a compact disc used as read-only memory.

Etymology

CD-ROM comes from two parts: CD for Compact Disc and ROM for Read-Only Memory. Think of a small, flat disc that holds data you can 'read' but not 'change', which is why a CD-ROM stores information that is 'read-only'.