I. noun
or disc ˈdisk
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Latin discus dish, disk, quoit — more at dish
1. archaic : discus 1
2. : the seemingly flat figure or image of a celestial body as it appears in the heavens
3. : any of several more or less rounded and flattened plant structures: as
a. : the central portion of the flower head of a typical composite composed of closely packed tubular flowers — see discoid
b. usually disc : an enlargement of the torus surrounding, beneath, or above the pistil of some flowers
c. : the curved spore-bearing surface of an apothecium ; also : the central upper portion of the pileus of a mushroom
d. : one of the adhesive circular enlargements at the ends of the tendrils in the Virginia creeper, Boston ivy, and similar plants by which they climb flat surfaces ; also : any similar adhesive surface (as the base of a pollinium)
4. : any of various rounded and flattened animal anatomical structures: as
a. : the flattened circumoral part of a coelenterate (as a sea anemone)
b. usually disc : the body of an echinoderm
c. : the area of modified plumage surrounding the eye of an owl
d. : a mammalian red blood cell
e. : optic disk
f. : intervertebral disk
5. : a thin circular object
a metal disk
as
a. : discoidal
b. : a round dish used in the Eastern Orthodox Church to hold the host
c. : a small tablet with glycerogelatin base used in eye medication ; also : a small medicated mass of sugar and egg albumen used in homeopathic practice
d. : puck III 2a
e. : one of the circular wooden pieces used in shuffleboard
f. usually disc : a phonograph record
6. : a rotating abrasive device used in dentistry
7. : a circular symbol used by ancient Egyptians to represent the sun
8. usually disc : one of the concave circular hardened steel tools with sharpened edge that make up the working part of a disc harrow or plow ; often : an implement employing such tools : disc harrow , disc plow
9. usually disc : a small flat woman's hat of oval shape usually worn forward on the head
II. transitive verb
or disc “
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to cultivate with a disc harrow or disc cultivator
2. usually disc : to record on a phonograph disc
III. noun
or disc
1. : a round flat plate (as of metal) coated with a magnetic substance on which data for a computer can be stored — called also magnetic disk
2. : a circular grid in a photocomposer
3.
a. : optical disk herein
b. : compact disc herein
c. : videodisc herein