Showing results for "disk"

• a variation of disc.

disk

American  

[disk] / dɪsk /

Also disc

noun

• disks
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• disklike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• disks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of disk

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

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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

See Examples For:

disk disks

Last year, the researchers created an artificial muscle disk inspired by the human iris, demonstrating how a thin layer of living cells could produce precisely controlled movements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

For that project, the engineers patterned a gel disk with grooves extending outward from its center and forming concentric circles.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

The company, which makes hard disk drives that are used in computers and artificial-intelligence data centers, on Thursday reported a profit of $1.78 billion, or $4.63 a share.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Smith was on the injured list for 86 days this summer because of neck disk inflammation, returning for the final month when he slashed .290/.400/.548.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

The sacrifice medal, a silver disk on a red-and-black ribbon, given for death in the line of duty, presented to Frank as if it were something important, something that made everything all right.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

"The fact that we can use these facilities to actually resolve the disks of nearby stars is amazing."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

Unlike hard drives containing spinning disks that can break, flash is a chip with no moving parts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Astronomers believe that giant planets such as WASP-189b formed within enormous disks of gas and dust surrounding young stars.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

The distinction may also help explain why some of the disks fluctuate more dramatically in infrared brightness.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

“Those disks could have been invaluable to Acting Commander Cudgeon at his hearing.”

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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Related Words

• disc
• plate
• platter

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