( BrE ) ( US CD / ROM ) / ˌsiː diː ˈrɒm; NAmE ˈrɑːm/ noun
[ C , U ] a CD on which large amounts of information, sound and pictures can be stored, for use on a computer (an abbreviation for 'compact disc read-only memory') :
The software package contains 5 CD-ROMs.
The encyclopedia is available on CD-ROM.
a CD-ROM drive (= in a computer)
—compare ROM
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WORD ORIGIN
1980s: acronym from compact disc read-only memory .