compact disc recordable

4.2

A disc you can write on once and then only read

noun
/ˈkɒmpækt dɪsk rɪˈkɔːrdəbl/

Specialized

: CD-R

I used a compact disc recordable to back up my important files.

Examples

Many music albums in the early 2000s were distributed on compact disc recordable formats.
The software allows you to burn data onto a compact disc recordable for permanent storage.
I bought a compact disc recordable yesterday.
These compact discs recordable are very useful for backups.
A compact disc recordable is ideal for backing up important files, as it can be written to once.
She used a compact disc recordable to store her digital artwork permanently for submission.
The compact disc recordable allowed him to share his music collection with friends without making copies.

Synonyms

CD-R

vscompact disc recordable

1 4.1

A disc you can write to only once that holds music or files

is the full written phrase rather than an abbreviation

compact disc write-once

vscompact disc recordable

Specialized

6.5

A CD you can record on once and then only read

is an alternative full phrase with identical meaning

CD-WO

vscompact disc recordable

Archaic

6.7

A compact disc that you can write on only once and then only read

is the full written phrase rather than a technical abbreviation

Antonyms

rewritable

Specialized

1 4.1

Able to be erased and written on again like a CD or memory card

How Writable

compact disc recordable

Specialized

4.2

compact disc read-only memory

Specialized

3.9

Surface Forms

compact disc recordable singular

compact discs recordable plural

Morphology

compact + disk + recordable

The meaning is directly compositional: 'compact disc' denotes a small optical disc and 'recordable' means able to have data written onto it, so a B1 learner who knows those words will understand it as a disc that can be recorded to. A minor technical nuance (CD-R being write-once versus rewritable) is not signalled by the phrase, but the core meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Compact disc recordable comes from the name compact disc (a small, round optical disc) plus the word recordable, which means you can 'record' or 'write' information onto it. So a compact disc recordable is a CD you can 'write' to once; after that the data is permanent and the disc can only be 'read'.