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Glite Dictionary
file allocation table

file allocation table

1 6.3
A table on a computer disk that shows where information is stored and which areas cannot be used
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : tabla de asignación de archivos
  • In the PC DOS file system, the file allocation table and directory areas are overwritten whenever a file is written onto a disk.
  • file allocation table (FAT)
  • file allocation table system

Examples

  • Without a properly functioning file allocation table, users may not be able to access their saved files.

  • The PC DOS file system maintains a file allocation table (FAT) and a directory.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The TechHotline rings at three and four A.M., and I listen to distraught graduate students stammer about corrupted file allocation tables and SCSI controller failures.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • The file allocation table helps the operating system find where files are located on the disk.

  • When a file is saved, the file allocation table updates to reflect the new location on the disk.

Surface Forms

file allocation table singular
file allocation tables plural

Morphology

file + allocation + table

The phrase is fully compositional: 'file' (items stored), 'allocation' (assignment of storage), and 'table' (a recorded list) combine to mean a table listing how storage is assigned to files. Although technical, the function of the term follows ordinary noun-compounding logic, so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer its meaning.

Etymology

File allocation table is like a simple table that lists where each file sits on a disk and which areas are bad. The word allocation means giving space, so this part 'keeps track' of where files are stored, which is why the name describes its job.