| Long-time readers of my newspaper columns know | | | | spelling within this context, which is why we listen to |
| that exploring the etymology of words is a | | | | disc jockeys and not disk jockeys. In the 1940s, |
| hobby-some would say a passion-while others would | | | | however, when American computer scientists were in |
| characterize it as a pathological obsession in need of | | | | dire need of a term to describe what were then flat, |
| immediate medical intervention. As a card-carrying | | | | data-storage devices, they chose the spelling "disk," |
| verbivore, I have observed through the years that | | | | and this became the common usage in related words |
| floppies, hard drives, CDs, DVDs, and other digital | | | | such as hard disk and floppy disk. Jumping ahead a |
| storage devices have been referred to as both "disks" | | | | few decades, when the compact disk made its debut |
| and "discs." With no discernable life beyond the | | | | in the 1970s, both "disk" and "disc" were in competition. |
| keyboard to divert my full and undivided attention, I | | | | Computer users preferred the familiar "disk" spelling, |
| decided to investigate, and herewith present the results | | | | while self-proclaimed groovy hipsters within the '70s |
| of my semi-exhaustive research: When new words | | | | music industry, considered the shiny circular plates as |
| enter the English language, they often appear in one or | | | | another form of phonograph record, and thus referred |
| more variations until one form prevails over the others, | | | | to them as compact "discs." These preferences soon |
| usually as a result of popular usage and occasionally | | | | became standard usage in the different industries. |
| misuse. There are also occasions when competing | | | | That's why we buy compact "disks" in computer |
| forms of words remain within the common parlance | | | | stores, but the same storage devices that contain |
| for protracted periods of time. Such is the case with | | | | music are called compact "discs" in music stores. To |
| "disk" and "disc." When the word "disk" first appeared | | | | further complicate matters, the computer industry |
| in the mid-17th century, it was initially spelled with a "k." | | | | created the optical "disk," which is the same format |
| The upstart "disc" muscled its way onto the scene | | | | that the entertainment industry used to create the |
| approximately 50 years later as a derivative of the | | | | video "disc." And if that's not confusing enough, if you |
| Latin discus-though the Greeks didn't help matters by | | | | attempt to lift a large stack of compact discs, you |
| spelling it "diskos," which brings to mind images of | | | | may wind up with a-you guessed it, a herniated disk. |
| polyester, strobe lights, and John Travolta in a white, | | | | But that's another story for another time. |
| linen suit. The spellings "disk" and "disc" were used | | | | Mr. Modem (MrModem.com) is an author, syndicated |
| interchangeably well into the 20th century, with citizens | | | | columnist, radio host, and publisher of the wildly popular, |
| of the U.K. tending to use "disc," and Americans | | | | always entertaining, Pulitzer-lacking weekly "Ask Mr. |
| preferring "disk." With the passage of time, their | | | | Modem" computer-help newsletter. Mr. Modem's |
| respective spellings began to align with function. Late in | | | | columns appear in more than 300 publications and |
| the 19th century, people started using "disc" to refer to | | | | each month in "Smart Computing" magazine. Visit for |
| a new method of making phonograph recordings on a | | | | additional information, to view a sample issue, or to |
| flat, platter-like device. "Disc" became the accepted | | | | subscribe. |