CD-ROM

American  

[see-dee-rom] / ˈsiˌdiˈrɒm /

noun

Computers.

1. a compact disk on which a large amount of digitized read-only data can be stored.

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CD-ROM British  

/ -ˈrɒm /

noun

1. compact disc read-only memory; a compact disc used with a computer system as a read-only optical disk

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CD-ROM Scientific  

/ sē′dē′rŏm′ /

1. A compact disk containing permanently stored data that cannot be altered.

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CD-ROM Cultural  

1. An acronym for c ompact d isc-r ead o nly m emory. Commonly known as CDs, these plastic discs hold information that can be read by laser. (Compare magnetic tape.)

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Etymology

Origin of CD-ROM

First recorded in 1980–85; shortening of c(ompact) d(isk) r(ead-)o(nly) m(emory)

Example Sentences

Early CD-ROM technology offered high storage capacity but slow loading times that fit the slow-paced, contemplative style of the game.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2024

Not long after I started playing the cello, I heard a clip from “La Bohème” on Encarta, the Microsoft CD-ROM encyclopedia.

From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2024

She means the CD-ROM drive and hard disk drive, two features she has never known a computer to have in her lifetime.

From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2023

The demands for alien intel became so many that the CIA eventually compiled it onto a CD-ROM, obtained by Greenwald and uploaded to the Black Vault, divvied into dozens of downloadable PDFs.

From Fox News • Jan. 12, 2021

Dad has a CD-ROM encyclopedia, a fax modem, and a Web navigator that gets hundreds of information services.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor