FORMATTING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does formatting mean? 

• FORMATTING (noun)
  The noun FORMATTING has 1 sense:

1. the organization of information according to preset specifications (usually for computer processing)

  Familiarity information: FORMATTING used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FORMATTING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The organization of information according to preset specifications (usually for computer processing)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

data format; data formatting; format; formatting

Hypernyms ("formatting" is a kind of...):

info; information (a message received and understood)

Domain category:

computer; computing device; computing machine; data processor; electronic computer; information processing system (a machine for performing calculations automatically)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "formatting"):

high-level formatting ((computer science) the format for the root directory and the file allocation tables and other basic configurations)

initialisation; initialization; low-level formatting ((computer science) the format of sectors on the surface of a hard disk drive so that the operating system can access them and setting a starting position)

Derivation:

format (divide (a disk) into marked sectors so that it may store data)

format (determine the arrangement of (data) for storage and display (in computer science))

format (set (printed matter) into a specific format)