OPTICAL DISK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does optical disk mean? 

• OPTICAL DISK (noun)
  The noun OPTICAL DISK has 1 sense:

1. a disk coated with plastic that can store digital data as tiny pits etched in the surface; is read with a laser that scans the surface

  Familiarity information: OPTICAL DISK used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OPTICAL DISK (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A disk coated with plastic that can store digital data as tiny pits etched in the surface; is read with a laser that scans the surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

optical disc; optical disk

Hypernyms ("optical disk" is a kind of...):

memory device; storage device (a device that preserves information for retrieval)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "optical disk"):

CD; compact disc; compact disk (a digitally encoded recording on an optical disk that is smaller than a phonograph record; played back by a laser)

DVD; videodisc; videodisk (a digital recording (as of a movie) on an optical disk that can be played on a computer or a television set)

 Context examples 

An optical disk storage system for computers on which data can be read or from which data can be retrieved but not entered or modified.

(CD-ROM, NCI Thesaurus)

An optical disk that is physically the same as an audio CD, but contains multimedia information (images, sound, etc.) The user can interact with films, games and educational programs.

(Compact Disc-Interactive, NCI Thesaurus)