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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Related Words

• disk
• diskette
• floppy