disk

American  

[disk] / dɪsk /

Also disc

noun

1. any thin, flat, circular plate or object.

2. any surface that is flat and round, or seemingly so.

   the disk of the sun.

3. disc.

4. Computers. any of several types of media consisting of thin, round plates of plastic or metal, used for external storage.

   magnetic disk;

   hard disk;

   optical disk.

5. Botany, Zoology. any of various roundish, flat structures or parts.

6. intervertebral disk.

7. Botany. (in the daisy and other composite plants) the central portion of the flower head, composed of tubular florets.

8. any of the circular steel blades that form the working part of a disk harrow.

9. Mathematics. the domain bounded by a circle.

10. Archaic. discus.

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verb (used with object)

1. Informal. disc.

2. to cultivate (soil) with a disk harrow.

disk British  

/ dɪsk /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US and Canadian) of disc

2. Also called: magnetic disk.   hard disk.  computing a direct-access storage device consisting of a stack of plates coated with a magnetic layer, the whole assembly rotating rapidly as a single unit. Each surface has a read-write head that can move radially to read or write data on concentric tracks Compare drum 1 See also floppy disk

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disk Scientific  

/ dĭsk /

1. 1. See magnetic disk

   2. See optical disk

2. See intervertebral disk

3. The round, flat center, consisting of many disk flowers, found in the inflorescences of many composite plants such as the daisy.

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Other Word Forms

• disklike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of disk

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin discus discus; cf. dish

Explanation

A disk is a round, flat circle. The face of the clock on your kitchen wall is a disk. Disk, also spelled disc, refers to anything with a circular flat shape, like a Frisbee, a penny, or a dinner plate. In computing, a disk is a device that stores data, and in the audio/video world, a disk can be a musical compact disk, or a DVD, a digital video disk. A disk jockey is someone who plays music, either on LPs or CDs, on the radio. The Greek root, diskos, means "platter."

Example Sentences

Testament to this are the Japanese golden disk and 1982 Canadian tour jacket that are featured at the museum.

From BBC • May 24, 2026

Having risked his neck twice, and now struggling with a slipped disk, Alsop has vowed not to race again - but he is certain more YouTubers will be gracing Cooper's Hill again this Monday.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

At the center of the disk is a young star hidden by thick clouds of dust and gas.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

Hubble's images revealed towering filament-like structures extending from only one side of the disk, while the opposite side appears sharply defined and lacks similar features.

From Science Daily • May 12, 2026

She was the only adult in hippie clothes—peasant blouse, long cotton skirt, Day-Glo headband with a yin/yang disk in the center of her forehead.

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• disc
• plate
• platter