FLOPPY (floppier, floppiest)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: floppier    , floppiest   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does floppy mean? 

• FLOPPY (noun)
  The noun FLOPPY has 1 sense:

1. a small plastic magnetic disk enclosed in a stiff envelope with a radial slit; used to store data or programs for a microcomputer

  Familiarity information: FLOPPY used as a noun is very rare.

• FLOPPY (adjective)
  The adjective FLOPPY has 1 sense:

1. hanging limply

  Familiarity information: FLOPPY used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FLOPPY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A small plastic magnetic disk enclosed in a stiff envelope with a radial slit; used to store data or programs for a microcomputer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

diskette; floppy; floppy disk

Context example:

floppy disks are noted for their relatively slow speed and small capacity and low price

Hypernyms ("floppy" is a kind of...):

disc; disk; magnetic disc; magnetic disk ((computer science) a memory device consisting of a flat disk covered with a magnetic coating on which information is stored)

Holonyms ("floppy" is a part of...):

computer; computing device; computing machine; data processor; electronic computer; information processing system (a machine for performing calculations automatically)

• FLOPPY (adjective)

Comparative: floppier   
Superlative: floppiest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Hanging limply

Context example:

a spaniel with floppy ears

Similar:

lax (lacking in firmness or tension; not taut)

Derivation:

flop (the act of throwing yourself down)

 Context examples 

Rarely, blood can leak the wrong way through the floppy valve.

(Mitral Valve Prolapse, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Signs and symptoms include mental and developmental delays, walking and balance difficulties, floppy muscle tone, and seizures.

(Congenital Cerebellar Hypoplasia, NCI Thesaurus)

If they don't, you could have: • Regurgitation - when blood leaks back through the valve in the wrong direction • Mitral valve prolapse - when one of the valves, the mitral valve, has floppy flaps and doesn't close tightly • Stenosis - when the valve doesn't open enough and blocks blood flow

(Heart Valve Diseases, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

The flaps of the valve are "floppy" and don't close tightly.

(Mitral Valve Prolapse, NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)