ENGLISH
REFERENCE

disc

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈdɪsk// UK //dˈɪsk// disc Archaic Dialect General-service

n. a flat, thin, round object. You use this word for things like computer storage, music records, or the round parts between the bones in your back.

n. a thin, flat, circular object or surface. In anatomical contexts, it refers to the fibrocartilaginous structures between vertebrae; in computing, it refers to magnetic or optical storage media.


SIMPLE

The doctor says I have a slipped disc in my back.

CONTEXTUAL

The technician inserted the recovery disc into the drive to repair the corrupted operating system.

COMPLEX

The interstellar cloud eventually collapsed into a rotating disc of gas and dust, providing the raw material for the formation of a new planetary system.

Synonyms
Origin

From French disque, from Latin discus, from Ancient Greek δίσκος (dískos, “disk, quoit, platter”). Doublet of dais, desk, discus, dish, disk, and diskos.

Usage

Commonly spelled 'disk' in American English and computing contexts, while 'disc' is preferred in British English and for optical media like CDs.

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