# Etymology (I think) question about discs and disks **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400 "2003-02-03T01:47:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/1 "2003-02-03T01:47:05Z")
How did it come to pass that we speak of dis **c** brakes and floppy, or hard, dis **k** s? ---
**Author:** ![njufoic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@njufoic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njufoic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/2 "2003-02-03T01:56:06Z")
I think “disc” came first (think “discus”), and “disk” is a shortening of “diskette” which is the original term for a computer disk. Perhaps someone else feels like researching this more thoroughly 🙂 -Andrew L ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/3 "2003-02-03T02:06:27Z")
I’ve wondered this often. I usually use “disk” four, well, disk-shaped objects, and “disc” for anything such disk-like object that contains information, except floppies, which I just call floppies and avoid breaking my own rule. 😃 I’ve never seen anything elucidate an obvious difference. Check [Merriam-Webster’s](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=discus) comments and see if you can figure anything out. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/4 "2003-02-03T02:06:34Z")
IBM preferred “disc,” for whatever reasons. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/5 "2003-02-03T02:08:02Z")
ok, how does the number “four” make an appearance in that post? Hmm?!? Who put it there? ::taps foot impatiently:: :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/6 "2003-02-03T02:19:34Z")
The OED says: > [@](#): > > [ad. L. disc-us, a. Gr. quoit, dish, disc: cf. F. disque, (1556). > The earlier and better spelling is disk, but disc is now the more usual form in British English, except in sense 2g (floppy disk), where disk is commoner as a result of US influence.] The earliest use of the word (from 1884) is spelled “disk” and means the “face” of the moon or a planet. The earliest use of “disc” dates from 1727, but in the example “disk” is also given, so it looks like the two were just varient spellings. It was probably a case of people using both spellings throughout; not all words have a single correct spelling, and disc/disk is one with multiple correct spellings. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/7 "2003-02-03T15:53:25Z")
Obvious, “diskette” came from “disk” and not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Short\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Short\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Short_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/8 "2003-02-03T16:07:15Z")
All I know is that the hard disk of a computer actually _is_ (or at least used to be) a disk, much like a old record. Of course, that doesn’t say anything about the difference in spelling… ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/9 "2003-02-03T16:16:20Z")
FWIW, I have always heard that (as regards technology) “disk” refers to magnetic media and “disc” refers to optical. So, it’s floppy disk and compact disc. And, just as an anecdote, at my first job out of college, our operations manuals all referred to “disquettes”. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Hauky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@Hauky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hauky)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-i-think-question-about-discs-and-disks/152400/10 "2003-02-03T17:43:46Z")
I’ve always heard the terms used the same way **tanstaafl** has just described, as far as computers are concerned.