floppy disk

American  

[flop-ee disk] / ˈflɒp i ˈdɪsk /

Or floppydisk

noun

Computers.

1. a portable storage medium consisting of a square plastic case containing a thin disk coated with magnetic material that is inserted into a drive to read and write data: popular from the 1970s through the 1990s.

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floppy disk British  

noun

1. Also called: diskette.   flexible disk.  a flexible removable magnetic disk that stores information and can be used to store data for use in a microprocessor

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floppy disk Scientific  

/ flŏp′pē /

1. A flexible plastic disk coated with magnetic material and covered by a protective jacket, used for storing data. Floppy disks were once the principal storage medium for personal computers, but inexpensive hard disks and writable compact disks have greatly diminished their role.

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Etymology

Origin of floppy disk

First recorded in 1970–75; called floppy from the fact that the earliest (8 inch) disk housing was somewhat flexible, though later (3.5 inch) disks had a rigid plastic case

Compare meaning

How does floppy-disk compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• floppy disk vs. hard disk

Example Sentences

That could mean the files and formats we use now, face a similar fate to the floppy disks and DVD drives of the past.

From BBC

He doesn’t have the internet on his computer and continues to save his work to a floppy disk, which he walks down the hall to his assistant at the end of the work day.

From Los Angeles Times

But energetic fans sustained the work, with zines passed around on floppy disks, photocopied and then read online.

From New York Times

You will try to take a bite of a sandwich, and — crunch, you have bitten into a floppy disk of sources and methods from 1993.

From Washington Post

It has been two decades since their heyday, but one bulk supplier of the iconic 3.5-inch floppy disk used to store data in 1990s says business is still booming.

From Reuters

Related Words

• disk
• diskette
• floppy