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floppy disk

or flop·py·disk

[ flop-ee disk ]
/ ˈflɒp i ˈdɪsk /
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noun Computers.
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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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also called floppy, diskette, flex·i·ble disk, magnetic disk .
Compare hard disk.

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

Words nearby floppy disk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use floppy disk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for floppy disk

floppy disk

noun
a flexible removable magnetic disk that stores information and can be used to store data for use in a microprocessorAlso called: diskette, flexible disk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for floppy disk

floppy disk
[ flŏppē ]

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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