Disk
A disk or disc is anything that resembles a flattened cylinder in shape. More specifically:
- In biology, an intervertebral disc is a cartilaginous joint between vertebrae in the spine of vertebrate animals.
- In mathematics, a disk is a geometrical object. See Disk (mathematics).
- An analogue disc record is a gramophone or phonograph recording medium, usually consisting of a long spiral groove in a vinyl or lacquer platter.
- The hard disk and floppy disk are magnetic storage media used in computers.
- A variety of optical storage media, such as the compact disc, DVD, and laserdisc, are used for digital data or video.
- Disc brakes are often used in automobiles.
- In astrophysics, an accretion disc or disk is a structure formed by material falling into a gravitational source.
- The Frisbee is a flying disc toy.
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The divergence in spelling is due in part to the way in which the words originated. Disk came into the English language in the mid-17th century, and was modelled on words such as whisk; disc arose some time later, and was based on the original Latin root discus. In the 19th century, disc became the conventional spelling for audio recordings made on a flat plate, such as the analogue disc record; this usage gave rise to the modern term disc jockey. Early BBC technicians differentiated between disks (in-house transcription records) and discs (the colloquial term for commercial gramophone records, or what the BBC dubbed CGRs).
By the 20th century, the c-spelling was more popular in British English, while the k-spelling was preferred in American English. In the 1940s, when the American company IBM pioneered the first hard disk storage devices, the k-spelling was used. In 1979 the European company Philips, along with Sony, developed the compact disc medium; here, the c-spelling was chosen, possibly because of the predominating British spelling, or because the compact disc was seen as a successor to the analogue disc record.
Whatever their heritage, in computer jargon today it is common for the k-spelling to refer mainly to magnetic storage devices, while the c-spelling is customary for optical media such as the compact disc and similar technologies. Even in the computing field, however, the terms are used inconsistently; software documentation often uses the k-spelling exclusively.
Etymology: from Greek δίσκος, a flat round object athletes competed in throwing. See discus throw.Disk or Disc?