disc

disc — noun

1. a thing that is shaped like a thin flat circle, such as a coin or a round metal

1.nounB1
Definition

a thing that is shaped like a thin flat circle, such as a coin or a round metal plate

Example

Gabriel found a flat metal disc near the old railway tracks.

The chef placed a small disc of dark chocolate on each dessert plate.

collocation: disc of [food]

Common collocations
  • metal disc
  • brass disc
  • disc of chocolate
  • round disc
  • flat disc
Synonyms
  • disk

    American English spelling variant; identical meaning for general round objects

  • plate

    a larger or flatter round object, usually not as thin as a disc

  • circle

    refers to the shape itself rather than a physical object

Grammar Patterns

a disc of [material / food]

disc + verb (be, have, look)

Common Mistakes

The athlete threw the disc at the competition.
The athlete threw the discus at the competition.
'Discus' is the specific name for the sports throwing object; 'disc' is the general shape word.

2. a flat round object that holds music, computer data, or videos and can be read b

2.nounB1
Definition

a flat round object that holds music, computer data, or videos and can be read by an appropriate machine — for example, a CD, a DVD, or a vinyl record

Example

Ravindra put the installation disc into his laptop and followed the instructions.

collocation: put a disc into [drive / player]

João keeps his grandmother's old record discs in wooden crates under the stairs.

Common collocations
  • insert a disc
  • play a disc
  • storage disc
  • disc drive
  • burn a disc
Synonyms
  • CD

    specifically a compact disc for digital audio or data

  • DVD

    a disc format designed mainly for video and larger data files

  • record

    a vinyl disc that stores sound through grooves; older format

  • disk

    American spelling; more common in computing (hard disk, SSD)

Grammar Patterns

disc + verb (contains, holds, plays)

verb + a disc (insert, play, burn)

Usage Note

In modern contexts, 'disc' often refers to CDs and DVDs, while 'record' or 'vinyl' is more common for older phonograph records. 'Disk' is the standard American spelling in computing contexts (hard disk, floppy disk).

Common Mistakes

I burned the data onto a disk drive.
I burned the data onto a disc.
A disk drive is the device that reads and writes discs; the storage medium itself is a disc.

3. a small pad of strong tissue that sits between the spine bones and allows your b

3.nounB2
Definition

a small pad of strong tissue that sits between the spine bones and allows your back to bend safely

Example

Eshe's doctor explained that a damaged disc was pressing on a nerve in her spine.

collocation: damaged disc

The surgeon repaired the damaged disc between two bones in Evelyn's lower back.

collocation: disc between [two] vertebrae

Common collocations
  • damaged disc
  • slipped disc
  • herniated disc
  • spinal disc
  • disc in the back
  • disc surgery
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

disc in [body part]

damaged / slipped / herniated disc

disc between [two vertebrae]

Usage Note

Often appears in the phrases 'slipped disc' and 'herniated disc' to describe a common spinal injury. Medical professionals may use 'intervertebral disc' as the full anatomical term.

Common Mistakes

I have a slipped disc in my knee.
I have a slipped disc in my back.
Discs in the anatomical sense only exist between the vertebrae of the spine, not in other joints.

disc — abbreviation

disc — combining form

Word family

  • disk
    nounB1
  • discus
    nounB2
  • discography
    nounB2
  • discoid
    adjectiveC2
  • discophile
    nounC1
  • discal
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

Disc and record both refer to round, flat objects for storing sound, but record almost always means a vinyl disc with grooves, while disc can be vinyl, CD, or DVD. CD (compact disc) is a specific format that uses laser reading and holds digital data — it is smaller and thinner than a vinyl record. Album refers to a collection of songs released together as a single unit, regardless of format: an album may be sold on CD, vinyl record, or as a digital download. For example: 'Mira bought the album on vinyl record for her collection and also on disc for her car.' Disc is the broadest term, covering all physical formats.

discrecordCDalbum

Common collocations

Nouns

  • metal
  • brass
  • chocolate
  • foam
  • paper
  • plastic
  • cartilage
  • spine
  • music
  • computer
  • video
  • data

Phrases

  • a disc of
  • disc between
  • disc in the

Prepositions

  • of
  • in
  • between
  • on

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The word disc comes from Latin discus, meaning a round, flat plate or a discus used in athletic throwing. Latin borrowed it from Greek dískos (δίσκος), which originally meant a round, flat object such as a plate or a throwing disc. The word entered English in the 1600s and later expanded to cover the intervertebral pads of the spine (1700s) and the circular media for sound recordings (early 1900s). The American spelling 'disk' became standard for computer-related uses in the mid-1900s, while 'disc' remains the preferred British spelling and the medical spelling.