dongle

don·gle

D d

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [dong-guh l, dawng‐]
- /ˈdɒŋ gəl, ˈdɔŋ‐/
- /dˈɒŋɡəl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [dong-guh l, dawng‐]
- /ˈdɒŋ gəl, ˈdɔŋ‐/

Definitions of dongle word

noun dongle a hardware device attached to a computer without which a particular software program will not run: used to prevent unauthorized use. 1
noun dongle Also called wireless adapter. a device that can be plugged into a USB port to enable wireless access from a computer to an external Wi-Fi device, as a mobile phone, or to the Internet, via high-speed broadband, or to enable wireless connectivity in a printer or other peripheral. 1
noun dongle A device that is connected to a computer to allow access to wireless broadband or use of protected software. 1
noun dongle computing: security device 1
noun Technical meaning of dongle (hardware) /dong'gl/ (From "dangle" - because it dangles off the computer?) 1. (security) A security or copy protection device for commercial microcomputer programs that must be connected to an I/O port of the computer while the program is run. Programs that use a dongle query the port at start-up and at programmed intervals thereafter, and terminate if it does not respond with the expected validation code. One common form consisted of a serialised EPROM and some drivers in a D-25 connector shell. Dongles attempt to combat software theft by ensuring that, while users can still make copies of the program (e.g. for backup), they must buy one dongle for each simultaneous use of the program. The idea was clever, but initially unpopular with users who disliked tying up a port this way. By 1993 almost all dongles passed data through transparently while monitoring for their particular magic codes (and combinations of status lines) with minimal if any interference with devices further down the line. This innovation was necessary to allow daisy-chained dongles for multiple pieces of software. In 1998, dongles and other copy protection systems are fairly uncommon for Microsoft Windows software but one engineer in a print and CADD bureau reports that their Macintosh computers typically run seven dongles: After Effects, Electric Image, two for Media 100, Ultimatte, Elastic Reality and CADD. These dongles are made for the Mac's daisy-chainable ADB port. The term is used, by extension, for any physical electronic key or transferable ID required for a program to function. Common variations on this theme have used the parallel port or even the joystick port or a dongle-disk. An early 1992 advertisment from Rainbow Technologies (a manufacturer of dongles) claimed that the word derived from "Don Gall", the alleged inventor of the device. The company's receptionist however said that the story was a myth invented for the ad. 2. A small adaptor cable that connects, e.g. a PCMCIA modem to a telephone socket or a PCMCIA network card to an RJ45 network cable. 1
noun dongle an electronic device that accompanies a software item to prevent the unauthorized copying of programs 0

See all 8 definitions of dongle

Information block about the term

Origin of dongle

First appearance:

before 1980

One of the 1% newest English words

First recorded in 1980-85; probably an arbitrary coinage

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Dongle

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Dongle

dongle popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 71% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

dongle usage trend in Literature

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