Definition

Noun: A type of compact disc on which data can be written ("burned") by a user a single time. After this recording process, the data becomes permanent and the disc functions as a read-only memory (ROM) device.

Usage

This term refers specifically to the physical media and its single-write capability. * You need a compact disc recordable and a CD burner to create your own music CD. * The software installer was distributed on a compact disc recordable. * She archived the family photos onto a compact disc recordable for safekeeping.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in technical specifications and comparisons with other writable disc formats (like CD-RW, for "rewritable").
• In formal or technical writing, the acronym CD-R is frequently used as a direct synonym.

Variants and Related Words

• CD-R: The standard and most common abbreviation for "compact disc recordable."
• Recordable CD: A common alternative phrasing with the same meaning.
• CD-RW (Compact Disc ReWritable): A related but distinct format that allows data to be written, erased, and rewritten multiple times.

Synonyms

• CD-R
• Recordable CD
• Write-once CD

Related Phrases

• To burn a CD-R: The common verb phrase for the action of writing data to a compact disc recordable.
  • I need to burn these files onto a CD-R.

Noun

1. a compact disc on which you can write only once and thereafter is read-only memory