optical disk

American  

noun

Computers, Television.

1. Also called laser disk.  Also optical disc a grooveless disk on which digital data, as text, music, or pictures, is stored as tiny pits in the surface and is read or replayed by a laser beam scanning the surface.

2. videodisk.

---

optical disk Scientific  

1. A plastic-coated disk that stores digital data, such as music or text, as tiny pits on its surface. The disc is rotated rapidly, and a laser is reflected off the disc to an optical sensor, which is sampled periodically. If the laser strikes the flat area between pits, the sensor picks up the reflection and registers the digital value 1. If the laser strikes one of the pits, it is deflected from the sensor, and the sample value is a digital 0.

---

Example Sentences

While you can still buy games on optical disks, it’s increasingly common for gamers to download them in digital form instead.

From Seattle Times

Just as floppy disks disappeared and optical disks are becoming less common, modern storage media such as memory cards and USB sticks are likely to be supplanted by newer technologies.

From Nature

“Billions of people make daily use of optical disk drive, laser printers and optical scanners . . . millions undergo laser surgery,” Nobel committee member Olga Botner said.

From Washington Post

“Billions of people make daily use of optical disk drive, laser printers and optical scanners … millions undergo laser surgery,” said Nobel committee member Olga Botner.

From Seattle Times

Apple has a track record of eliminating or revising elements of its hardware, from dropping the optical disk drive on laptops to changing the docking port on its phones.

From The New Yorker